Chemical synthesis of PANI-TiO2 composite thin film for supercapacitor application

A unique and cost effective chemical route has been carried out for the synthesis of a polyaniline-titanium oxide (PANI-TiO2) composite thin film at room temperature. Characterization techniques, such as Fourier transform infrared and FT-Raman spectroscopy; have shown the formation of the composite. The result of X-ray diffraction indicates the amorphous nature of the PANI-TiO2 composite thin film. The morphology of the PANI-TiO2 composite thin film observed using scanning electron microscopy shows the porous framework of the agglomerated nanofibers. The electrochemical characterization of the pseudocapacitive PANI-TiO2 composite in a 1 M H2SO4 electrolyte displayed the highest specific capacitance of 783 F g(-1) at the scan rate of 5 mV s(-1). The synergistic effect between PANI with its counterpart TiO2 caused an increased cycle stability of 78% over 5000 consecutive cycles, which is higher than the virgin PANI with 70% specific capacitance retention. The distinctive structure of the PANI-TiO2 composite and the cohabitation of conducting PANI with TiO2 have been found to be responsible for the superior electrochemical properties.