Flexible and cross-linked polyaniline nets as promising supercapacitor electrodes

By simple and efficient hydrothermal procedure, flexible and cross-linked polyaniline (PANI) was successfully prepared using dioctyl sulfosuccinate sodium salt as soft template and camphorsulfonic acid as the dopant. The as-prepared PANI had a stable fishnet shape composed of uniform nanofibers of 20-30 nm diameters. Electrochemical tests showed that PANI had high, specific capacitances approaching 601 and 485 F g(-1) at current densities of 0.5 and 2 A g(-1) with 80.7% capacitance retention, inferring high rate capability. After 1000 charge-discharge cycles even at high applied current of 5 A g-1, PANI still retained 72.4% of initial capacitance, indicating good cyclability. Both easy synthesis and good capacitive properties verified the promise of PANI nets in supercapacitors. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.