Polyaniline–RuO2 composite for high performance supercapacitors: chemical synthesis and properties
Abstract
Composite thin films of polyaniline–ruthenium oxide (PANI–RuO2) are prepared by a chemical bath deposition (CBD) method. The prepared thin films are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and FT-Raman spectroscopy. XRD patterns reveal the amorphous nature of the composite thin films. FT-IR and FT-Raman spectroscopy confirm PANI–RuO2 composite formation. Cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge–discharge and impedance analysis are carried out in order to investigate the applicability of the composite electrode as a supercapacitor. The PANI–RuO2 composite electrode demonstrate the maximum specific capacitance of 830 F g−1. The specific energy and specific power of the PANI–RuO2 composite electrode are 216 W h kg−1 and 4.16 kW kg−1, respectively. The observed specific capacitance is the best yet reported for a PANI–RuO2 composite supercapacitor in H2SO4 electrolyte. Moreover, the composite electrode shows enhanced cycling stability. These results demonstrate the potential of developing the PANI–RuO2 composite electrode material for high-performance supercapacitors.