Development of electrode materials for energy storage in supercapacitor application

Abstract

There is a growing interest in developing supercapacitors for the use of energy storage. The current challenge is to develop a supercapacitor that has an energy capacity comparable to traditional batteries, while retaining the fast charging benefits of capacitors. The objective of this research project is to develop a novel ternary composite electrode material made up of conducting polymer, metal oxide and graphene, which can give high capacitance and very high energy density. Polyaniline is the common choice of material for developing conducting polymers due to its large capacitance, ease of production, and low cost. As much research has been done on polyaniline, this research project aims to explore further by working on 2-(Methylthio)aniline, a derivative of polyaniline, in hopes of achieving better results as compared to polyaniline. The conducting polymer made from 2-(Methylthio)aniline was ultimately used in developing a ternary supercapacitor composite and tested for its capacitance as well as power density.