Polyaniline-modified porous carbon tube bundles composite for high-performance asymmetric supercapacitors

• DOI: 10.1016/j.electacta.2018.09.178
• Publication Date: 2018-09-27T08:31:15Z
• Authors: Jing Zhao; Yiju Li; Xi Chen; Hongquan Zhang; Congying Song; Zheng Liu; Kai Zhu; Kui Cheng; Ke Ye; Jun Yan; Dianxue Cao; Guiling Wang; Xianfa Zhang
• Keywords: 01 natural sciences; 7. Clean energy; 0104 chemical sciences

Abstract In this work, activated carbon tube bundles (ACTBs) with porous hollow structure are prepared using dandelion fluffs as precursors. The open-framework porous structure of the ACTBs contributes to large specific surface area and enhanced electrochemical performances. Then the ACTBs are further modified with polyaniline (PANI) using the in-situ polymerization method, the unique hollow tube structure of the ACTBs effectively increases the growth area for the PANI. The PANI modified ACTBs (PANI/ACTBs) composite exhibits an excellent rate performance due to the highly retained porous hollow tube structure, which promotes the electrolyte ions diffusion and electron transport. Meanwhile, the ACTBs and PANI/ACTBs serve as the cathode and anode electrode materials for asymmetric supercapacitor, respectively. As a result, the asymmetric supercapacitor displays a high energy density of 42 Wh kg−1 and a capable cycling stability. These results demonstrate that the PANI/ACTBs composite is a promising electrode material for the energy storage devices.