Synthesis of copolymer of aniline-o-phenylenediamine using nonionic surfactant Triton X-100: analysis of electrical conductivities and supercapacitor properties

Abstract

A porous structure of copolymer poly (aniline-co–o-phenylenediamine) has been fabricated by chemical oxidation process with nonionic surfactant Triton X-100. Different ratios of monomers (1:9, 5:5 and 9:1) have been utilized; structure and surface morphology has been analyzed by FTIR and SEM–EDX techniques. The UV, XRD and BET surface area measurement were also done. The electrochemical techniques such as cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance were used to evaluate electrochemical capacitance performances. The copolymer comprising equimolar mixture of monomers displayed high surface area that helps to amplify the diffusion of electrolyte ions. Hence, the specific capacitance of developed copolymer has been determined as 989 F g⁻¹ at 5 mA cm⁻² current density from galvanostatic charge–discharge studies with retainability of 84.94% capacitance after 100 cycles.

Graphical Abstract