NH ₃-activated polyaniline for use as a high performance electrode material in supercapacitors

A simple method for activating polyaniline (PANI) using NH ₃ for the synthesis of high performance electrode materials in supercapacitors is described. The PANI is activated at various temperatures (750-1050 °C) with a mixed stream of NH ₃ and N ₂. Because of the corrosive properties of NH ₃, the surface area of PANI (46.6 m ² g ^-1) is significantly increased up to 1719.8 m ² g ^-1. Large amounts of surface nitrogen functional groups are maintained in pyrrolic and pyridinic states, even after a heat treatment, which is favorable for pseudocapacitor reactions. As evidenced by electrochemical analysis, NH ₃ activated PANI exhibits a high specific capacitance (174.8 F g ^-1) and fast charging/discharging characteristics due to its high specific surface area and desirable surface functional groups. Results suggest that it has considerable potential for use in application to PANI based composites as a high performance electrode material in supercapacitors.