Flexible and cross-linked polyaniline nets as promising supercapacitor electrodes

Abstract

By simple and efficient hydrothermal procedure, flexible and cross-linked polyaniline (PANI) was successfully prepared using dioctyl sulfosuccinate sodium salt as soft template and camphorsulfonic acid as the dopant. The as-prepared PANI had a stable fishnet shape composed of uniform nanofibers of 20–30nm diameters. Electrochemical tests showed that PANI had high specific capacitances approaching 601 and 485Fg−1 at current densities of 0.5 and 2Ag−1 with 80.7% capacitance retention, inferring high rate capability. After 1000 charge–discharge cycles even at high applied current of 5Ag−1, PANI still retained 72.4% of initial capacitance, indicating good cyclability. Both easy synthesis and good capacitive properties verified the promise of PANI nets in supercapacitors.