Plasma Synthesis and Characterization of PANI + WO3 Nanocomposites and their Supercapacitor Applications

Abstract

In this work, an underwater impulse discharge initiated in polyaniline (PANI) aqueous dispersion between tungsten rods is applied to produce metal oxide nanoparticles and create polymer nanocomposites. The prepared materials were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). XRD, FTIR, and TEM confirmed the presence of tungsten oxide particles in the final composite, while spectroscopic characterization revealed the interaction between the metal oxide and PANI. The results showed that the incorporation of WO3 into the PANI matrix could improve the optical bandgap of the nanocomposites. In addition, the electrochemical performance of the hybrid nanocomposites was tested by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD). The results obtained indicated that the PANI + WO3 nanocomposite could be a promising candidate as an electrode material for high-power supercapacitor applications.