Enhanced Electrochemical Performance of Highly Porous Supercapacitor Electrodes Based on Solution Processed Polyaniline Thin Films

Enhancement to the electrochemical performance of supercapacitor electrodes were realized by incorporating highly porous conductive polymer films prepared with solution-processed polyaniline. The resultant nanostructures contained characteristic pores measuring 30-150 nm. Such electrodes generated from a solution of polyaniline-camphorsulfonic acid (PANI/CSA) exhibited higher porosity and electro-catalytic activity than those generated from conventional PANI nanomaterials. These improvements were attributed to faster ion diffusion at the PANI electrode/electrolyte interface. The highest specific capacitance observed for a supercapacitor fabricated with a porous PANI electrode obtained was 361 F g(-1) at 0.25 A g(-1), which is more than twice that of an equivalent electrode made with pristine PANI. Furthermore, supercapacitors made with highly porous PANI electrodes exhibited high electrochemical stability and rate performances.