Nanoclay Co–Doped CNT/Polyaniline Nanocomposite: A High-Performance Electrode Material for Supercapacitor Applications

This work presents the substantial co-doping effect of H⁺and nanoclay on the electrochemical performance of organic-inorganic based spontaneous self-assembled structure for supercapacitor (SCs) application via facile in-situ and ex-situ approach. Endowed with well-established catalytic properties, nanoclay not only serves as a smart spacer towards stabilization of bulk morphology but also improves the electronic conductivity of electrode through interfacial compatiblization after polymerization with polyaniline (PANI). Electrochemical measurements revealed the superior performance of H⁺and nanoclay co-doped ternary nanocomposite (both in-situ & ex-situ) as compared to other related systems. Capacitive performance of electrode measured by galvanostatic charging discharging (GCD) analysis at 1 A/g showed maximum specific capacitance of 605 F/g for ternary in-situ product CHNA (i.e. acid co-doped carbon nanotube/nanoclay/PANI) with an energy density of 53.77 Wh/Kg and power density of 399 W/Kg. EIS analysis suggests improved electronic conductivity of in-situ product owing to their high surface area and unique 3D architecture of electrode with suitable mesopores. Furthermore, charging-discharging test for consecutive 2000 cycles ensured its good cyclic stability with 92% initial specific capacitance retention at 1 A/g. Thus, H⁺, nanoclay co-doped CNT/PANI based low cost, high capacitive and environmental friendly electrode materials are expected to be a potential candidate for SCs application.