Growth of polyaniline nanofibers for supercapacitor applications using successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method

We report the synthesis of polyaniline nanofibers using the successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method. The structural study shows the amorphous nature of polyaniline. The formation of polyaniline nanofibers has been revealed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) whereas the confirmation of polyaniline material is obtained from Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. A plausible explanation illustrating the growth mechanism is presented. A maximum specific capacitance of 1078 F.g(-1) at a scan rate of 5 mV.s(-1) is obtained. The charge-discharge behavior shows a maximum specific power of 1.2 kW.kg(-1) and specific energy of 64 Wh.kg(-1). The ease of the synthesis and the interesting electrochemical properties indicate that polyaniline nanofibers are promising materials for supercapacitor applications.