In situ preparation of SnO2@polyaniline nanocomposites and their synergetic structure for high-performance supercapacitors

Abstract

This method for the synthesis of SnO₂@polyaniline starts from primary SnO crystals. SnO is produced through ultrasonication in the presence of ethanolamine (ETA), while polyaniline (PANI) is polymerized in situ. The tunable ratio of the inorganic component and the polymer substrate in the SnO₂@PANI nanocomposite plays an important role in the morphology and electrochemical performance. The nanocomposites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM), and Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). SnO₂@PANI, as an electrode material, was fabricated into a supercapacitor and characterized using cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and galvanostatic charge–discharge measurements. A nanocomposite of SnO₂@PANI (SP-2) with a high specific surface area (91.63 m² g⁻¹), exhibited remarkable pseudocapacitive activity, including a high specific capacitance (335.5 F g⁻¹ at 0.1 A g⁻¹), good rate capability (108.8 F g⁻¹ at 40 A g⁻¹) and excellent cycling stability (no capacitance loss after 10 000 cycles). The in situ oxidation and polymerization route of the synthesis of the SnO₂@PANI nanocomposite is potentially a convenient way of producing secondary energy materials, which is expected to be applicable to the synthesis of other metal oxide@polymer nanocomposites.