Optical properties, electrochemical analysis and corrosion resistance studies of polyaniline/reduced graphene Oxide/ZrO2 for supercapacitor application

We have synthesized a ternary polyaniline (PANI)/reduced graphene oxide (rGO)/zirconium oxide (ZrO2) (PrGZ) composite for binder-free and thin semiflexible all-solid-state supercapacitor electrode applications. The microstructure and structural properties of PrGZ nanocomposite were analyzed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy. Raman study confirmed that the PrGZ composite possessed PANI, rGO, and ZrO2 Raman bands. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis confirmed that ZrO2 was formed composite in PANI/rGO. The atomic percentage of Zr increased from 1.31 at% to 2.99 at% when the ZrO(NO3)2 concentration was increased from 5 mM to 20 mM. A blue shift of the π-π* transition in the C–C bond of rGO and a redshift of the π-π* transition in the benzenoid ring of PANI after incorporating ZrO2 with rGO and PANI. The highest specific capacitance of 679.8 F/g at a scan rate of 5 mV/s was obtained for PANI/rGO/ZrO2(10 mM) which is higher than that of pure PANI, rGO, PANI/ZrO2, rGO/ZrO2, nanocomposite. The obtained corrosion potential value of 0.124 V observed for the PANI/rGO/ZrO2(10 mM) showed the highest corrosion resistance in the electrolyte solution indicating a higher rate capability of the supercapacitor.