A New Partially Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanosheet/Polyaniline Nanowafer Hybrid as Supercapacitor Electrode Material

Abstract

A special partially reduced graphene oxide nanosheet/polyaniline nanowafer (GNS/PANI) hybrid for supercapacitor electrode material was fabricated by an in situ polymerization method. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results revealed that PANI nanowafers (50 nm) homogeneously grew onto the surfaces of GNSs as spacers to keep the neighboring sheets separate. The electrochemical performance was analyzed by cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge/discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectrometry (EIS). The composite exhibited a maximum specific capacitance of 329.5 F/g and excellent cycle life, indicating a positive synergistic effect of GNS and PANI for the improvement of electrochemical performance. Our investigation highlighted the importance of anchoring of small PANI nanowafers on graphene sheets for maximum utilization of electrochemically active PANI and graphene in supercapacitors, presenting a promising application of GNS/PANI composites as electrode materials for energy storage.