title: Synthesis of a highly efficient 3D graphene-CNT-MnO2-PANI nanocomposite as a binder free electrode material for supercapacitors.
abstract: Graphene based nanocomposites have been investigated intensively, as electrode materials for energy storage applications. In the current work, a graphene-CNT-MnO2-PANI (GCM@PANI) nanocomposite has been synthesized on 3D graphene grown on nickel foam, as a highly efficient binder free electrode material for supercapacitors. Interestingly, the specific capacitance of the synthesized electrode increases up to the first 1500 charge-discharge cycles, and is thus referred to as an electrode activation process. The activated GCM@PANI nanocomposite electrode exhibits an extraordinary galvanostatic specific capacitance of 3037 F g-1at a current density of 8 A g-1. The synthesized nanocomposite exhibits an excellent cyclic stability with a capacitance retention of 83% over 12 000 charge-discharge cycles, and a high rate capability by retaining a specific capacitance of 84.6% at a current density of 20 A g-1. The structural and electrochemical analysis of the synthesized nanocomposite suggests that the astonishing electrochemical performance might be attributed to the growth of a novel PANI nanoparticle layer and the synergistic effect of CNT/MnO2nanostructures.
authors.affiliation: School of Materials Science and Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, P. R. China. asifnust86@gmail.com and School of Physics and Optoelectronic Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, P. R. China. lpan@dlut.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Muhammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Asif
authors.affiliation: School of Materials Science and Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, P. R. China. asifnust86@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: School of Physics and Optoelectronic Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, P. R. China. lpan@dlut.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Lujun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.affiliation: Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116024, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Muhammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rashad
authors.affiliation: School of Materials Science and Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, P. R. China. asifnust86@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Jiayan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: School of Physics and Optoelectronic Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, P. R. China. lpan@dlut.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.affiliation: School of Physics and Optoelectronic Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, P. R. China. lpan@dlut.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Ruixue
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cui