Polyaniline-carrageenan nanocomposite electrode as capacitor

Abstract

Energy is a requisite resource relied upon at a global scale by every household, business, and institution. Technological advancements have pushed the need for energy, particularly electrical energy, to skyrocket due to its increasing demand in different industries. Batteries have high energy density, but they also require constant recharging which takes up a significant amount of time. Batteries allow for high energy storage, but they break down over time as their chemicals lose potency over time from the recurrent charging and discharging. In this study, a more efficient way of storing electrical energy is explored through the production of supercapacitors using electrodes from the polymerization of polyaniline (PAni), a conducting polymer, and carrageenan, a polysaccharide. Essentially, supercapacitors are used in storing high amounts of electrical energy in small units. Unlike batteries, they have high power density which allows for quick bursts of electrical current. Supercapacitors not only charge faster than batteries do, but they also last longer.