One-step depositing method of PAni/MnO₂ composites for enhanced supercapacitor performance

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Energy Storage

Background:

• Manganese dioxide (MnO2) is a key material for supercapacitors but suffers from poor conductivity and low power density.
• Polyaniline (PAni) and carbon cloth (CC) are also utilized in energy storage applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate a novel polyaniline/manganese dioxide/carbon cloth (PAni/MnO2/CC) composite electrode.
• To enhance the electrochemical performance and energy storage capabilities of flexible supercapacitors.

Main Methods:

• A one-step electrochemical deposition method was used to create the PAni/MnO2/CC composite electrode.
• The effect of deposition durations on electrochemical performance was investigated to optimize process parameters.

Main Results:

• The optimized PAni/MnO2@CC composite electrode achieved a high specific capacitance of 1,694.25 mF cm-2 at 1 mA cm-2.
• The composite electrode demonstrated superior performance compared to PAni@CC, MnO2@CC, and other PAni-based electrodes.
• The assembled flexible supercapacitor exhibited high energy density, excellent bending performance, and good cycle stability.

Conclusions:

• The PAni/MnO2/CC composite electrode offers an effective solution to the limitations of MnO2 in supercapacitors.
• This easy-to-prepare composite electrode shows significant potential for advanced flexible energy storage devices.