Polyaniline/multi-walled carbon nanotube composites with core-shell structures as supercapacitor electrode materials

Composites with core-shell structures consisting of polyaniline and carbon nanotubes were prepared via in situ polymerization of aniline monomers by using multi-walled carbon nanotubes with minimized defects as templates. The strong interaction in such conjugated systems greatly improves the charge-transfer reaction between polyaniline and the carbon nanotube. Influences of the thickness of the polyaniline layer on the surface of the carbon nanotubes on the electrochemical properties of the resulting composites are discussed. The highest specific capacitance of 560 F/g was achieved by using a composite with 66 wt% polyaniline content as the supercapacitor electrode. Additionally, enhancement of the capacity retention was observed, with the composite losing only 29.1% of the maximum capacity after 700 cycles, and then remaining stable.