Electrical conductivity and supercapacitor properties of polyaniline/chitosan/nickel oxide honeycomb nanocomposite

In this work, a polyaniline honeycomb nanocomposite is synthesized via chemical route and Breath Figure technique and characterized through Fourier Transform Infrared, X-ray diffraction, thermogravmetric analysis, and morphological analysis (SEM and TEM). The DC, AC conductivities, and Mott's VRH parameters have been measured in the temperature range from 303 to 373 K and frequency range from 20 Hz to 1 MHz. The DC conductivity of the nanocomposite enhanced and AC-conductivity is attributed to overlapping large polaron tunneling (OLPT) mechanism. The composite is tested for supercapacitor properties. A specific capacitance of 554 F/g and energy density of 76.9 Wh/kg at 1 A/g current density, and high power density of 2.00 kW/kg at 4 A/g indicates more feasibility of the redox process. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry reveals that the nanocomposite is an excellent supercapacitor electrode material. (C) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.