Polyaniline Binder for Functionalized Acetylene Black: A Hybrid Material for Supercapacitor

Polyaniline-doped with functionalyzed acetylene black material has been successfully synthesized and used as an electrode material in supercapacitor, wherein, this material contributes both pseudocapacitative (PC) and electrical double layer capacitative (EDLC) behaviour. Functionalization of acetylene black (AB) has been carried out and used as dopant for THF soluble polyaniline base (PANI) to prepare PANI-functionalized acetylene black (PANI-FAB). Formation of FAB and PANI-FAB was confirmed with the help of FT-IR and XPS study. Functionalization of AB results in agglomerated FAB and doping with PANI results in agglomerated fibrous PANI-FAB, as compared to fibrous AB. High thermal stability of AB decreases on functionalization and again slightly increases for PANI-FAB. Functionalization of AB also results good bonding effect with PANI, where PANI acts as both PC and binder, instead of the higher amounts of binder (PVdF > 30 wt%) that are normally needed to hold AB. Electrochemical studies of FAB and PANI-FAB materials were carried out by cyclic voltammetric and electrochemical impedance spectroscopic methods. PANI-FAB supercapacitor cell shows capacitance of 132 Fg1 for 0.3 Ag1 current density with very low charge-transfer resistance and low time constant.