Preparation of polyaniline nanorods/manganese dioxide nanoflowers core/shell nanostructure and investigation of electrochemical performances

A hierarchical polyaniline nanorod/manganese dioxide nanoflower (PANI/MnO2) core/shell nanostructure was successfully constructed through in situ polymerization, in which PANT nanorods work as the core and K-birnessite-type MnO2 act as the shell. The core/shell nanostructure effectively increases active surface areas and obviously decreases the ion transmission distance, which is conducive to the efficient contact and transfer of ions. The morphology, the chemical structure, and the crystal phase of PANI/MnO2 were measured by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Moreover, its supercapacitor behaviors were analyzed by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD) tests, showing that this nanostructure exhibits better electrochemical activity and higher capacitance performance than pure PANI nanorods and pure MnO2. In 1.0 M Na2SO4 electrolyte solution, the specific capacitance of PANI/MnO2 is 215 F g(-1)- at 0.30 A g(-1).

Automated summary

A hierarchical PANI/MnO2 core/shell nanostructure was successfully constructed through in situ polymerization, effectively increasing active surface areas and decreasing ion transmission distance. The nanostructure exhibited better electrochemical activity and higher capacitance performance compared to pure PANI nanorods and pure MnO2.