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

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.