Route to High Surface Area, Mesoporosity of Polyaniline-Titanium Dioxide Nanocomposites via One Pot Synthesis for Energy Storage Applications

Abstract

This paper reports the synthesis of mesoporous polyaniline-titanium dioxide (Pani-TiO2) nanocomposites via a one pot approach in the presence of aniline and titanium iso-propoxide precursor under ice bath conditions. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy showed that the Pani-TiO2 was mesoporous in nature. BET analysis revealed the Pani-TiO2 to have a 2-fold higher surface area than Pani. The shift of the peaks in the FTIR and XRD pattern showed that TiO2 had perfectly intercalated into the Pani matrix, which suggests a strong interaction between Pani and TiO2. The electrochemical properties of Pani and the mesoporous Pani-TiO2 were examined by cyclic voltammetry and charge/discharge studies. The mesoporous Pani-TiO2 electrode exhibited a high specific capacitance of 935 F g-1 at 1 A g-1 current density. The mesoporous Pani-TiO2 displayed excellent cyclic stability up to 2000 cycles and delivered a high energy density of 94.8 Wh kg-1 at a 977 W kg-1 power density.