Transparent and flexible electrodes and supercapacitors using polyaniline/single-walled carbon nanotube composite thin films

Abstract

Large-scale transparent and flexible electronic devices have been pursued for potential applications such as those in touch sensors and display technologies. These applications require that the power source of these devices must also comply with transparent and flexible features. Here we present transparent and flexible supercapacitors assembled from polyaniline (PANI)/single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) composite thin film electrodes. The ultrathin, optically homogeneous and transparent, electrically conducting films of the PANI/SWNT composite show a large specific capacitance due to combined double-layer capacitance and pseudo-capacitance mechanisms. A supercapacitor assembled using electrodes with a SWNT density of 10.0 µg cm⁻² and 59 wt% PANI gives a specific capacitance of 55.0 F g⁻¹ at a current density of 2.6 A g⁻¹, showing its possibility for transparent and flexible energy storage.