Development of Candle Soot Based Carbon Nanoparticles (CNPs)/Polyaniline Electrode and Its Comparative Study with CNPs/MnO2 in Supercapacitors

By Yong Wang and Long Jiang and Yechun Wang
Published in Electrochimica Acta NULL 2016

Abstract

In this article we report a facile method to create a polyaniline (PANI) nanorod/carbon nanoparticle (CNP) composite structure that is suitable for supercapacitor use. A network of \CNPs\ was conveniently produced on the surface of a nickel foam by collecting candle soot above a burning candle. The \PANI\ nanorods were then electrochemically deposited on the \CNP\ network, forming a star-like interconnected 3D structure. As a comparison, MnO2 particles were also deposited on the \CNP\ network to produce a broccoli-like structure. The electrochemical properties of these two composites were examined using cyclic voltammetry, cyclic charge-discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The two electrodes exhibited different electrochemical behaviors: high capacitance at low current densities and marked deterioration at high ones for CNPs/PANI and relatively low but stable capacitance for CNPs/MnO2. The reasons for this distinction were discussed based on the structures and material properties of the electrodes.

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