Fabrication of Uniform Nanocomposite by “Anchoring” Polyaniline Nanofibers on the Surface of Graphene Oxide for Supercapacitors

Abstract

In this research, polyaniline/graphene oxide (PANI/GO) nanocomposite was prepared via covalent grafting by anchoring PANI on the surface of GO. Firstly, aniline (ANI) was anchored on the surface of GO by a series of chemistry reactions to obtain ANI modified GO (GO-ANI). The subsequent in situ polymerization of ANI monomer on the surface of GO led to the fabrication of a uniform PANI/GO nanocomposite. The morphology and structure of the products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR), ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer (UV-vis), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The results showed the formation of the uniform PANI/GO nanocomposite with the PANI nanofibers anchoring on the GO surface. Such structure afforded high specific capacitance during the charge-discharge process for supercapacitor electrodes. The specific capacitance of the nanocomposite was 275 F/g, which was higher than that of pure PANI (192 F/g). The nanocomposite exhibits good electrochemical property and is a good candidate for supercapacitor electrodes.