Polyaniline and multi-walled carbon nanotube-intercalated graphene aerogel and its electrochemical properties

Polyaniline (PANI)-and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)-intercalated reduced graphene oxide (rGO) aerogel or PANI/MWCNTs/rGO aerogel (PCGA) was prepared using a one-step hydrothermal co-assembly method for supercapacitor applications. The prepared aerogel exhibited an outstanding porous structure, and showed excellent capacitive performance. PANI and the MWCNTs were dispersed well on the graphene walls of the aerogels and spaced inner graphene layers to encourage electrolyte ion absorption. Accordingly, the specific capacitance of the PCGA was increased to 987 F/g at a scan rate of 0.5 A/g, which strongly surpassed that of the MWCNT/rGO aerogel (CGA) and PANI/rGO aerogel (PGA) with a specific capacitance of 335 and 643 F/g, respectively. PCGA also showed long term cycling stability (94% after 1000 cycles), which is promising as a potential electrode material for supercapacitors. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.