Enhanced supercapacitor potential of CeO2/MXene nanocomposites with tunable conductive polyaniline concentrations

Abstract

In this paper, a scalable hydrothermal and in-situ polymerization method is described for the development of CeO2/MXene/PANI-based nanocomposites. Five samples CeO2, CeO2/MXene, three ternary composites namely (CeO2/MXene)/PANI 80 %:20 % (CMP1), (CeO2/MXene)/PANI 60 %:40 % (CMP2) and (CeO2/MXene)/PANI 40 %:60 % (CMP3) are prepared. The synthesized materials are characterized using advanced techniques to reveal their diverse properties and potential applications. The CMP3 composite exhibits a lower band gap energy of up to 2.19 eV in the optical study. Moreover, this material's high capacitance and dielectric constant of 169.9 make it beneficial for capacitors. It also offers the lowest charge transfer resistance of all the as-prepared samples, a high specific capacitance of 2247.962 Fg−1, remarkable rate capability, and excellent cycle life, maintaining 91 % after 6000 cycles. Its remarkable performance is caused by the even distribution of its extremely porous morphology and enhanced electrical conductivity. This work suggests that CMP3 is the best electrode material for pseudocapacitors.