Effect of Hematite on the Energy Storage Performance of Polyaniline/Zeolite HY/α-Fe2O3 Nanocomposite Supercapacitor Electrode

Abstract

The main goal of the present work is the elaboration of new nanocomposite conducting poly(aniline) with α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles in the presence of zeolite HY acid in aqueous electrolyte by chemical oxidative polymerization. Various formulations of the polymer were synthesized (5, 10, and 20% of α-Fe2O3) and the nanocomposites poly(aniline)/HY/α-Fe2O3 have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), SEM analysis, and FT-IR spectroscopy. The electrical conductivity and the UV–visible spectroscopy of the nanocomposites were also investigated. In addition, the electrochemical properties were studied by cyclic voltammetry. (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The optimal ratio between α-Fe2O3 and poly(aniline)/HY was found to be 5 wt%. The specific capacitances of poly(aniline)/HY and nanocomposite were found to be be 630, and 1000 F g−1 respectively at a scan rate of 5 mV/s. Besides, the material possesses a high energy density of 88.88 Wh kg−1 and a maximum power density of 1632.3 W kg−1. These electrochemical results indicate that the PANI/HY/α-Fe2O3 nanocomposites is an attractive candidate for the application in the high-performance energy storage systems.