Synergistic cerium oxalate decahydrate-polyaniline nanocomposite fabricated by facile hydrothermal method for high performance supercapacitors

Abstract

Composites based on rare earth compounds and conducting polymers are widely explored in the field of supercapacitors due to their high pseudocapacitive contribution. In this work, cerium oxalate decahydrate-polyaniline (CeOX–PANI) composite was synthesized by integrating polyaniline (PANI) into cerium oxalate decahydrate (CeOX) to investigate the influences of PANI incorporation in the structural, morphological and electrochemical behavior of the material compared to the parent materials. Electrochemical evaluations were carried out in a potential window of −0.25 to 0.4 V and showed a capacitance ~980 F/g at 1 A/g. Comprehensive analysis confirms the excellent electrochemical characteristics of the composite in both half-cell and full-cell configurations. The assembled asymmetric supercapacitor delivered ~352 F/g and an energy density of ~95 Wh/kg at 1 A/g over a voltage window of 0–1.4 V. This demonstrates that the CeOX–PANI composite electrode has strong potential for advanced supercapacitor devices.