Synthesis and characterization of activated carbon/conducting polymer composite electrode for supercapacitor applications

摘要

AbstractActivated carbon is prepared from coconut shell by heating it around 500 °C for 2 h in a muffle furnace. This method is one of the easiest and most economical methods for the synthesis of Activated carbon. The dried coconut shell is carbonized and it is treated with KOH in the ratio of 1:3 carbon-activating agent (KOH) and the resulting slurry is dried in an oven at 60 °C for overnight. The dried mass is further activated at 450 °C then it is washed with an acid solution to remove KOH. The surface area of the synthesized activated carbon can be obtained by using nitrogen absorption–desorption experiment. Conducting polymer such as polyaniline prepared by oxidative polymerization of the respective monomer in tetrafluoroboric acid solution using potassium persulphate as an oxidant. The structure and doping of polyaniline were studied by FTIR, UV and Cyclic voltammetry studies. The conducting polymer is mixed with AC and prepared composites were characterized by UV, FTIR, and CV. The specific capacitance of composites calculated from charge–discharge at 0.5 mA g− 1was found to be 99.6 Fg− 1and for cyclic voltammetry, at the scan rate of 2 mV s− 1, it is 77 Fg− 1.