Supercapacitor Electrodes Based on Graphene-Polyaniline Nanocomposites

Supercapacitors are energy storage devices characterised by their high power density and rapid charge–discharge capability. Graphene-polyaniline nanocomposite electrodes merge the superior electrical conductivity, mechanical strength and large surface area of carbon allotropes with the high pseudocapacitance of conducting polymers. Graphene sheets form an interconnected conductive network that supports electron transport and structural integrity, while polyaniline contributes fast, reversible faradaic reactions. Advanced fabrication strategies—including layered sandwich architectures, three-dimensional scaffolds and freestanding flexible films—address challenges such as polymer aggregation, limited cycle life and poor mechanical resilience. Through optimised electropolymerisation, hydrothermal synthesis and modular printing, researchers have achieved specific capacitances in excess of 900 F g⁻¹, energy densities above 25 Wh kg⁻¹ and robust cycling stability. These breakthroughs underscore the global relevance of graphene-polyaniline electrodes for flexible electronics, wearable devices and next-generation grid storage systems.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Innovators have reported a freestanding sandwich-structured composite paper in which porous polyaniline layers are interleaved between graphene films. This configuration mitigates the low capacitance of pure graphene by harnessing the polymer’s redox activity, yielding electrodes with high conductivity, mechanical flexibility and energy density suitable for solid-state supercapacitors. In another seminal work, a hierarchical three-dimensional network was created by wrapping polyaniline nanofibres within reduced graphene oxide scaffolds. The resulting electrodes achieved gravimetric capacitance values approaching 920 F g⁻¹ and volumetric capacitance over 390 F cm⁻³, coupled with excellent rate performance and bending tolerance. A further study demonstrated controlled hydrothermal growth of ultrathin polyaniline layers on graphene nanosheets, delivering specific capacitances up to 530 F g⁻¹ and near-complete retention after extensive cycling.

Supercapacitor Electrodes Based on Graphene-Polyaniline Nanocomposites publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in supercapacitor electrodes based on graphene-polyaniline nanocomposites across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Supercapacitor: An electrochemical energy storage device that stores charge through electric double-layer formation and pseudocapacitive reactions.

Pseudocapacitance: Charge storage via fast, reversible redox reactions at the electrode surface, enhancing capacitance beyond physical ion adsorption.

Electric double-layer capacitance: Non-faradaic charge storage arising from electrostatic separation of ions at the electrode–electrolyte interface.

Reduced graphene oxide (rGO): Graphene derivative obtained by chemical or thermal reduction of graphene oxide, offering restored conductivity with residual functional groups.

Specific capacitance: The capacitance per unit mass of electrode material, measured in farads per gram (F g⁻¹).

Cycling stability: The ability of an electrode to retain capacitance over multiple charge–discharge cycles, indicating durability.

References

1. Investigation of Hybrid Electrodes of Polyaniline and Reduced Graphene Oxide with Bio-Waste-Derived Activated Carbon for Supercapacitor Applications. Polymers (2024).
2. Scalable Synthesis of Freestanding Sandwich-structured Graphene/Polyaniline/Graphene Nanocomposite Paper for Flexible All-Solid-State Supercapacitor. Scientific Reports (2015).
3. Three-dimensional skeleton networks of graphene wrapped polyaniline nanofibers: an excellent structure for high-performance flexible solid-state supercapacitors. Scientific Reports (2016).
4. Hydrothermal synthesis of nanostructured graphene/polyaniline composites as high-capacitance electrode materials for supercapacitors. Scientific Reports (2017).
5. Study on Direct Synthesis of Energy Efficient Multifunctional Polyaniline–Graphene Oxide Nanocomposite and Its Application in Aqueous Symmetric Supercapacitor Devices. Nanomaterials (2020).
6. Graphene/polyaniline@carbon cloth composite as a high-performance flexible supercapacitor electrode prepared by a one-step electrochemical co-deposition method. RSC Advances (2017).