Synthesis of polyaniline/HF partially etched-hierarchical porous TiO2 microspheres composite with high electrochemical performance for supercapacitors

A novel electrode material of polyaniline/HF partially etched-hierarchical porous TiO2 microspheres (PANI/F-HPTM) composite has been designed and synthesized by the combination of graft polymerization of PANI on the surface of HPTM and subsequent partially etch HPTM using HF. The preparation process is systematically investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), energy-dispersive spectroscopy analysis (EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The surface morphology is examined by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The capacitive behaviors are characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD). The unique structure design and partially etched strategy make the composite exhibits desirable electrochemical performance. The maximum specific capacitance of PANI/F-HPTM is 497.6 F g−1 at a current density of 0.7 A g−1, and the specific capacitance retention rate is 81.1 % as the current density increasing from 0.7 A to 14 A g−1. In addition, almost 100 % of its initial specific capacitance can retain after charge/discharge for 1000 cycles. These results demonstrate that partial etching is a good strategy and HPTM are promising templates to prepare high-performance electrode materials for supercapacitors.