Improvement of electrochemical performance of titania nanowires for supercapacitor electrodes by in-situ growth of polyaniline nanoparticles

作者：Zhang, Peng; Cao, Lin; Wang, Xiaoming; Cui, Jie; Lin, Zhidan; Ngai, Sieglind; Vogel, Florian; Wang, Huihui; Li, Wei; Li, Shuangjian^*; Wang, Qiwei^*

来源：Ceramics International, 2022, 48(2): 1731-1739.

DOI：10.1016/j.ceramint.2021.09.252

• Titania/titanate nanowires
• Polyaniline nanoparticles
• Supercapacitor electrode material
• Specific capacitance
• Cycle stability

Supercapacitors with excellent electrochemical performance are considered the most promising candidates to meet the increasing energy demand. Herein, we developed a novel electrode material for supercapacitors, polyaniline (PANI)-3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane (APTEs)-titania nanowires (TNW), which was synthesized on potassium doped titanium foil via a simple two-step procedure. In the composite, the nano-mesh structure formed by APTEs-coated TNW serves as the framework for the growth of PANI nanoparticles, and PANI nanoparticles act as the electrochemically active part. The specific capacitance of PANI-APTEs-TNW of up to 315.16 mF cm(-2) at 0.2 mA cm(-2) in 1.0 M H2SO4 solution is achieved, while that of PANI-TNW is 271.67 mF cm(-2). Meanwhile, the capacitance retention rate of PANI-APTEs-TNW is 86.8% after 1000 cycles under 1.5 mA cm(-2). Compared to PANI-TNW, the better capacitive behavior of PANI-APTEs-TNW is attributed to the anchoring effect of APTEs, which is highly interactive and exhibits compact structures between the TNW and PANI nanoparticles, resulting in a stable structure during the rapid charge-discharge process. This strategy is characterized by its good electrochemical properties, simple equipment, low cost of raw materials, and large-area preparation. Thus, our findings provide an effective method for the design of high-performance supercapacitors and promote their practical applications.