Graphene-Polythiophene Nanocomposite as Novel Supercapacitor Electrode Material

Abstract

The graphene (G)-polythiophene (PTh) nanocomposite was synthesized by a chemical oxidative polymerization technique and characterized using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM), Raman Spectroscopy, Fourier transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray-diffraction (XRD), Electrochemical Impedance spectroscopy(EIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) techniques. The electrochemical properties of G-PTh nanocomposite supercapacitor electrodes were investigated in different electrolytes solutions and a specific discharge capacitance of 154 F/g was estimated from different charge/discharge current cycles. Our proposed research is transformative as the G-conducting polymer based electrode material with unique and excellent properties, such as, high conductivity, wider tunable potential window, high stability of the electrode material in doped form, faster charge transfer rate, and short charging times, that allows the fabrication of high performance supercapacitors for practical applications.