A novel composite electrode material derived from bisferrocenyl-functionalized GO and PANI for high performance supercapacitor

A novel bisferrocenyl based epoxy compound was synthesized to be used for further surface modification of graphene oxide (GO). GO surface was firstly modified with ethylenediamine (EDA) as an amine linker and then bisferrocenyl based epoxy compound was covalently grafted to the GO surface through the epoxide ring opening reaction. Afterwards, polyaniline (PANI) nanofibers were physically adsorbed onto the surface of the modified GO to obtain a potentially high-performance nanocomposite for battery-type supercapacitor applications. The surface modification, crystalline structure, morphology, composition, and microstructure of the synthesized nanocomposites were further investigated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) and N2 adsorption/desorption analyses, respectively. Also, the electrochemical behavior of the synthesized nanocomposites was investigated by electrochemical methods of cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), galvanostatic charge-discharge measurement (GCD). The final nanocomposite electrode exhibited a charge storage capacity of 272 mAh g−1, and capacity retention of 89 % over 3000 CV cycles. A high energy density of 69.3 Wh kg−1 and high power density of 6171 W kg−1 were achieved in a symmetrical two-electrode configuration.