A “skeleton/skin” strategy for preparing ultrathin free-standing single-walled carbon nanotube/polyaniline films for high performance supercapacitor electrodes

Zhiqiang Niu; Pingshan Luan; Qi Shao; Haibo Dong; Jinzhu Li; Jun Chen; Duan Zhao; Le Cai; Weiya Zhou; Xiaodong Chen; Sishen Xie

doi:10.1039/C2EE22042C

A “skeleton/skin” strategy for preparing ultrathin free-standing single-walled carbon nanotube/polyaniline films for high performance supercapacitor electrodes

Zhiqiang Niu,^ab Pingshan Luan,^ad Qi Shao,^b Haibo Dong,^ad Jinzhu Li,^ad Jun Chen,^c Duan Zhao,^ad Le Cai,^ad Weiya Zhou,*^a Xiaodong Chen*^b and Sishen Xie^a

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* Corresponding authors

^a Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
E-mail: wyzhou@iphy.ac.cn
Fax: +86-10-82640215
Tel: +86-10-82649381

^b School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798
E-mail: chenxd@ntu.edu.sg

^c Intelligent Polymer Research Institute, ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science, Australian Institute of Innovative Materials, Innovation Campus, University of Wollongong, Northfields Avenue, Wollongong, Australia

^d Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China

Abstract

One of the most critical aspects in the preparation of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs)/conducting polymer hybrid electrodes is to improve the energy density without seriously deteriorating their high power capability. Here, we report a “skeleton/skin” strategy for the preparation of free-standing, thin and flexible SWCNT/polyaniline (PANI) hybrid films by a simple in situ electrochemical polymerization method using directly grown SWCNT films with a continuous reticulate structure as template. In situ electrochemical polymerization can achieve effective deposition of PANI onto the surface of SWCNT bundles in the films and control the morphology and microstructure of the SWCNT/PANI hybrid films. In a SWCNT/PANI hybrid film, the directly grown SWCNT film with continuous reticulate architecture acts as the skeleton and PANI layers act as the skin. This unique continuous “skeleton/skin” structure ensures that these hybrid films have much higher conductivity compared to SWCNT/PANI composite films based on post-deposition SWCNT films. Flexible supercapacitors have been fabricated using the SWCNT/PANI hybrid films as both electrodes and charge collectors without metallic current collectors. High energy and power densities (131 W h kg⁻¹ and 62.5 kW kg⁻¹, respectively) have been achieved for the optimized assembly. The high electrical conductivity and flexibility, in combination with continuous porous architecture, suggests that the as-prepared ultrathin free-standing SWCNT/PANI hybrid films have significant potential as promising electrode materials for thin, lightweight and flexible energy storage devices with high performance.

Energy & Environmental Science

A “skeleton/skin” strategy for preparing ultrathin free-standing single-walled carbon nanotube/polyaniline films for high performance supercapacitor electrodes

Abstract

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A “skeleton/skin” strategy for preparing ultrathin free-standing single-walled carbon nanotube/polyaniline films for high performance supercapacitor electrodes

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