Template-free graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets coated with polyaniline nanofibers as an electrode material for supercapacitor applications

An eco-friendly and facile in-situ polymerization method was used to develop template free acid-etched graphitic carbon nitride (TGCN) nanosheets with optimized PANI nanofibers. PANI nanofibers grown on TGCN nanosheets offer large surface area, high porosity and unique charge transfer properties. The rapid agglomeration of TGCN nanosheets throughout electrochemical measurements lowers the specific capacitance due to its reduced shelf life which was overcome by the incorporation of a suitable polymer (PANI) as a spacer. Herein, We report the comparative electrochemical performance of TGCN/PANI nanocomposites as a function of morphology, composition, surface area and pore size study was obtained using X-Ray diffraction (XRD), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) N-2 adsorption-desorption. Herein, we prepared TGCN/PANI nanocomposites, which are also optimized to act as a highly efficient electrode nanocomposite for high-performance supercapacitor applications. The optimized TGCN/PANI (TCP50) nanocomposite showed a high specific capacitance of 298.31 F/g at a scan rate of 0.02 V s(-1) and long cycling stability with low capacitance loss after 5000 cycles as well as low leakage current and self-discharge. At a power density of 400 W/kg, TCP50 electrode exhibits superior energy density of 33.57 Wh/kg. (C) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

In this study, template-free acid-etched graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets were prepared using an eco-friendly and facile in-situ polymerization method, with PANI nanofibers optimized for large surface area and high porosity. The TGCN/PANI nanocomposites showed superior electrochemical performance as highly efficient electrode materials for high-performance supercapacitor applications. The optimized TCP50 nanocomposite exhibited high specific capacitance, long cycling stability, low capacitance loss, low leakage current, self-discharge, and superior energy density.