Synergistic performance of simply fabricated polyaniline/carbon xerogel composite as supercapacitor electrode

This work involves preparation of loaded polyaniline (PANI)/carbon xerogel (CX) composites with different mass ratios. The effect of PANI loading on the porosity and electrochemical activity of the composites is studied. Surface characterization analysis of studied samples reveals that incorporation of PANI onto the CX network reduces its specific surface area with a simultaneous expansion of the average pore diameter from the microporous to the mesoporous range. The prepared composites are tested as supercapacitor electrodes, and their electro-capacitive properties are studied by cyclic voltammetry, chronopotentiometry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in a two-electrode cell using 1 M H2SO4 electrolyte. Results show that introducing PANI into CX network enhances the gravimetric capacitance from 156 to 612 F ∙ g−1 at current density of 0.1 A ∙ g−1 with reasonable stability. For instance, sample composite of PANI:CX = 5:1 w/w displays a retention percentage of 87.6% after 1500 repetitive cycles. In general, this synergy between PANI and CX in the prepared composites is attributed to the development of mesoporosity and the lowering of electrode resistance.