Polyaniline-modified porous carbon tube bundles composite for high-performance asymmetric supercapacitors.

Abstract In this work, activated carbon tube bundles (ACTBs) with porous hollow structure are prepared using dandelion fluffs as precursors. The open-framework porous structure of the ACTBs contributes to large specific surface area and enhanced electrochemical performances. Then the ACTBs are further modified with polyaniline (PANI) using the in-situ polymerization method, the unique hollow tube structure of the ACTBs effectively increases the growth area for the PANI. The PANI modified ACTBs (PANI/ACTBs) composite exhibits an excellent rate performance due to the highly retained porous hollow tube structure, which promotes the electrolyte ions diffusion and electron transport. Meanwhile, the ACTBs and PANI/ACTBs serve as the cathode and anode electrode materials for asymmetric supercapacitor, respectively. As a result, the asymmetric supercapacitor displays a high energy density of 42 Wh kg−1 and a capable cycling stability. These results demonstrate that the PANI/ACTBs composite is a promising electrode material for the energy storage devices. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • The porous structure of the ACTBs contributes to the enhancement of the specific surface area and cycling stability. • The ACTBs can solve the aggregation problem and provide more space for the volume changes of the PANI particles. • The PANI/ACTBs exhibits high capacitance and the good cycling stability due to the combined advantages of PANI and ACTBs. • The PANI/ACTBs composite exhibits high energy density of 42 Wh kg−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]