High performance symmetric reduced graphene oxide/polyaniline/tellurium supercapacitor electrodes

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Energy Storage

Background:

• Reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and polyaniline (PANI) nanocomposites suffer from agglomeration and volumetric changes, limiting their capacitive performance.
• Developing advanced electrode materials is crucial for improving energy storage devices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the synergistic effects of a ternary nanocomposite (rGO/PANI/Te) for enhanced electrochemical performance.
• To overcome the limitations of binary rGO/PANI nanocomposites in supercapacitors.

Main Methods:

• Electrochemical testing in a two-electrode cell assembly using a 0.1M H2SO4 aqueous electrolyte.
• Fabrication and characterization of optimized rGO/PANI/Te nanocomposites with varying tellurium concentrations.

Main Results:

• The rGO/PANI/Te nanocomposite achieved a maximum specific capacitance of 895 F g-1 at 10 mV s-1.
• The optimized rGO/PANI/Te50 (GPT50) electrode exhibited negligible charge transfer resistance, high coulombic efficiency (92%), and excellent cyclic stability (91% after 5000 cycles).
• High energy and power densities of 41 Whkg-1 and 3679 Wkg-1 were recorded.

Conclusions:

• The addition of tellurium significantly enhances the supercapacitor performance of rGO/PANI nanocomposites.
• The novel rGO/PANI/Te ternary nanocomposite is a promising candidate for advanced energy storage applications.
• This material offers improved electrochemical properties, addressing key challenges in supercapacitor technology.