Synergistic electrochemical method to prepare graphene oxide/polyaniline nanocomposite

Abstract

Graphene oxide (GO) was electropolymerized with polyaniline (PANI) during graphite exfoliation in 0.1 M H₂SO₄ electrolyte and 0.1 M aniline monomer solution. Characterization techniques, including Infrared Absorption Spectroscopy (FTIR), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), UV-vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and cyclic voltammetry, were utilized. XRD analysis confirmed GO multilayer exfoliation from the graphite anode, while UV-vis and FTIR techniques confirmed PANI electropolymerization. SEM images revealed PANI distributed between GO multilayers with a nanoneedle morphology. Cyclic voltammetry in 1 M H₂SO₄ demonstrated that the GO/PANI composite achieved a specific capacitance of 117.440 Fg^-1, in contrast to GO's 1.243 Fg^-1, both at a scan rate of 1 mVs^-1. This enhancement is attributed to the improved electrical conductivity from PANI and graphene oxide. These results highlight the potential of the GO/PANI composite for high-performance supercapacitors and energy storage systems.

Keywords:
graphene oxide; electrochemical exfoliation; polyaniline; electropolymerization; nanocomposites