Harnessing synergies: Gold-polyaniline based symmetric supercapacitor for low-frequency waveform generation

Abstract

Electrochemical supercapacitors, one of the storage devices, have attracted much attention owing to their high power density, fast charge-discharge and long cycle life. In this study, we present findings of a hybrid system comprised of gold and polyaniline, fabricated via an in-situ, one pot synthesis route and designed for use in symmetric supercapacitor applications. The gold-polyaniline (Au-PANI) based hybrid material was thoroughly characterized using microscopic, optical, and surface analytical techniques to gain a comprehensive understanding of the system. The electrochemical performance of Au-PANI based electrode was examined using cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques. The hybrid system exhibited maximum specific capacitance ($C_S$) 387 F/g at the current density of 12 A/g for three electrode system. The symmetric supercapacitor exhibited a maximum specific capacity ($Q_S$) 303 mAh/g at the current density of 0.1 A/g and achieved a maximum energy density (ED) and power density (PD) of 243 mWh/kg and 619 W/kg at the current density of 0.1 A/g and 0.9 A/g, respectively. Further, the Au-PANI based symmetric device was applied to generate low-frequency waveforms.