In-situ-assembled polyaniline frameworks on reduced graphene oxide toward high-performance energy-storage materials

Abstract

PANI exhibited considerable potential in the conversion and storage of energy systems because of its high elasticity, large specific capacitance, multiple oxidation states, and relatively inexpensive. Unfortunately, PANI's poor stability restricts its usage. The coupling of PANI and other active materials has the potential to overcome PANI's inherent limitations. Here, we successfully synthesized reduced graphene oxide (rGO) that was utilized as a carbon substrate for in situ chemical polymerization of PANI at different operating temperatures [0°C, room temperature (RT), and 50°C]. The fabricated PANI-RT/rGO nanocomposite showed a high porosity with a high surface area, acting as an ions diffusion pathway. The estimated electrochemical results of the prepared electrodes, PANI-RT, PANI-50, PANI-0, and PANI-RT/rGO electrodes at an applied current of 2 A.g⁻¹ are 832 F.g⁻¹ (418 C/g), 256 F.g⁻¹ (128 C/g), and 224 F.g⁻¹ (112 C/g), and 1056 F.g⁻¹ (528 C/g), respectively. The capacitance of the PANI-RT/rGO electrode is much larger than that of the others, and rGO incorporation demonstrates a key factor in improving the electrochemical storage capability. Furthermore, the device is stable, keeping 90 % of its original capacity following 3 K charge/discharge repeated runs at 5 A g⁻¹.