Polyaniline@MoS2: An organic and inorganic hybrid framework for asymmetric supercapacitor applications

Abstract

The polyaniline and MoS2-based organic and inorganic hybrid composite have been synthesized by varying MoS2 concentrations ranging from 1 to 10 wt% and their charge storage performances were analyzed in a three-electrode and in asymmetric cell configuration to understand their electrochemical characteristics. The electrochemical characteristics of the as-prepared electrodes such as cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge-discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were studied in 1 M H2SO4 electrolyte. Among the prepared compositions PANI@MoS2 (5 wt%) electrode showed a high specific capacity of 148.6 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1 among the prepared compositions. Further, the asymmetric hybrid pouch cell was fabricated where PANI@MoS2 and activated carbon were used as a positive and negative electrode, respectively. The 2 × 2 cm2 asymmetric cell (AC||PANI@MoS2(5 wt%) delivered a specific energy of 32 Wh kg−1 at a specific power of 3.2 kW kg−1 in the PVA-H2SO4 hydrogel electrolyte. This specific energy is two-fold higher than the AC||PANI asymmetric cell where the specific energy and specific power are about 18.66 Wh kg−1 and 3.2 kW kg−1, respectively. The cycle stability of the AC||PANI@MoS2 (5 wt%) was also performed at 2 A g−1 and the cell showed capacitance retention of about 99.27% after 13,000 cycles. The cell performances at different bending angles were analyzed to ensure the flexible nature of the pouch cell. Thus, the proposed organic and inorganic hybrid composite electrode is believed to be a potential electrode material for supercapacitor application in an acidic electrolyte medium.