Microwave-assisted rapid preparation of CNT/Ag/PANI composite electrodes for supercapacitors

Owing to the fast charge–discharge rates, high power density, and simple yet feasible fabrication, supercapacitors are extensively deployed for energy storage. In this work, polyaniline (PANI), silver/polyaniline (Ag/PANI), and carbon nanotube/silver/polyaniline (CNT/Ag/PANI) were expeditiously fabricated via a facile microwave-assisted synthesis approach, with the redox process being completed within merely 50 seconds. The structure and morphology of the synthesized materials were characterized by Fourier transform infrared, x-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscope, which confirmed the successful formation of the target composites. The specific capacitance of the CNT/Ag/PANI composite stood at 473.5 F/g at 1 A/g, as determined by galvanostatic charge–discharge results, which was considerably higher than those of Ag/PANI (209.1 F/g) and pure PANI (117.1 F/g). Furthermore, the capacitance retention of the CNT/Ag/PANI composite remained at 58.2% after 8000 charge–discharge cycles under 5 A/g, indicating the favorable cycling stability of the electrodes. The microwave-assisted methodology enables the efficient and rapid construction of CNT/Ag/PANI composites. This study provides a valuable reference for expediting the development of PANI-based electrode materials.