Optical properties, electrochemical analysis and corrosion resistance studies of polyaniline/reduced graphene Oxide/ZrO2 for supercapacitor application

We have synthesized a ternary polyaniline (PANI)/reduced graphene oxide (rGO)/zirconium oxide (ZrO2) (PrGZ) composite for binder-free and thin semiflexible all-solid-state supercapacitor electrode applications. The microstructure and structural properties of PrGZ nanocomposite were analyzed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy. Raman study confirmed that the PrGZ composite possessed PANI, rGO, and ZrO2 Raman bands. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis confirmed that ZrO2 was formed composite in PANI/rGO. The atomic percentage of Zr increased from 1.31 at% to 2.99 at% when the ZrO(NO3)2 concentration was increased from 5 mM to 20 mM. A blue shift of the pi-pi* transition in the C-C bond of rGO and a redshift of the pi-pi* transition in the benzenoid ring of PANI after incorporating ZrO2 with rGO and PANI. The highest specific capacitance of 679.8 F/g at a scan rate of 5 mV/s was obtained for PANI/rGO/ ZrO2(10 mM) which is higher than that of pure PANI, rGO, PANI/ZrO2, rGO/ZrO2, nanocomposite. The obtained corrosion potential value of 0.124 V observed for the PANI/rGO/ZrO2(10 mM) showed the highest corrosion resistance in the electrolyte solution indicating a higher rate capability of the supercapacitor.

Automated summary

A ternary composite material PrGZ was synthesized for supercapacitor electrode applications, with analysis confirming its microstructure and structural properties. The inclusion of PANI, rGO, and ZrO2 in PrGZ significantly impacted the capacitor performance, showing higher specific capacitance and corrosion resistance.