Influence of Biomass-derived Porous Activated Carbon on Polyaniline as Electrode Material for Supercapacitor Applications

The investigation focused on the impact of porous activated carbon derived from Sapindus trifoliatus biomass (STAC) in conjunction with a conducting polymer, polyaniline (PA), aimed at achieving high specific capacitance supercapacitors. To create the PA@STAC composites with different weight ratios of STAC (PA@STAC5, PA@STAC10, PA@STAC15, PA@STAC30, PA@STAC50), a practical in situ chemical oxidative polymerization method was employed. The observed improvements in specific capacitance and long-term stability of PA@STAC composites can be attributed to the synergistic effects of both PA and STAC. Consequently, the inclusion of STAC in the composite led to a more than twofold increase in capacitance compared to the original polymers. Specifically, the maximum specific capacitance for the PA@STAC30 composite was 224 F g⁻¹ at a current density of 1 A g⁻¹. The rapid GCD characteristic of PA@STAC30 is attributed to the good porosity and well-organized architecture morphology with short-ion diffusion that allow for free access during the GCD cycles. This study underscores the notable increase in capacitance potential and the enhanced durability of pseudocapacitors achieved through the straightforward addition of a conductive porous carbon material.