Preparation of cyclodextrin polymer-functionalized polyaniline/MXene composites for high-performance supercapacitor

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Controlled aggregation is crucial for high-performance nanodevices.
• Polyaniline (PANI) and MXene (MX) are promising materials for electrochemical applications.
• Preventing PANI self-polymerization is key to uniform material growth.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an in situ aggregation strategy for PANI/MXene composites using cyclodextrin polymer (CDP).
• To investigate the effect of CDP on the morphology and electrochemical performance of PANI/MXene.
• To enhance the capacitance and energy storage capabilities of the composite materials.

Main Methods:

• Utilized an in situ aggregation strategy with cyclodextrin polymer (CDP).
• Employed MXene as a 2D structure template for PANI growth.
• Investigated supramolecular interactions between CDP and PANI for controlled modification.

Main Results:

• Achieved uniform PANI growth on MXene facilitated by CDP.
• Observed an increase in specific capacitance from 460.8 F g⁻¹ to 523.8 F g⁻¹ (at 1 A g⁻¹) after CDP-induced growth.
• Demonstrated a high energy density of 27.7 Wh kg⁻¹ at a power density of 700 W kg⁻¹ for the CDP-MX/PA composite.

Conclusions:

• The CDP-mediated in situ aggregation strategy effectively controls PANI growth on MXene.
• The developed CDP-MX/PA composites exhibit significantly enhanced electrochemical performance.
• This synthetic approach offers a promising route for fabricating high-performance energy-storage devices.