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Title: Performance evaluation of polyaniline as an active material for electrochemical capacitors

Conference ·
OSTI ID:10171920

This paper describes experiments which evaluate the performance of polyaniline (PAni) as an active material in electrochemical capacitors. We have performed constant current multicycle tests on prototype symmetric devices where the same conducting polymer serves as the active material on both electrodes. When electropolymerized at high current density in aqueous acid solution, PAni exhibits a micro-morphology consisting of a network of interwoven fibrils with high porosity. Thick PAni layers (>250 {mu}m) of the material can thus be electropolymerized onto a planar metal substrate without affecting the fast dynamics of the charge-discharge process. The aqueous PAni electrochemical capacitors exhibit rather low energy content because of limitations on the maximum applied voltage. However, due to their optimized morphology and the high conductivity of the aqueous acid solution, they exhibit relatively high power density. The PAni capacitor exhibits excellent cycle life (more than 25,000 cycles), provided the requirements on restricted cell voltage are met. This is a key result in the evaluation of conducting polymers as active materials in electrochemical capacitors. Scanning electron microscopy and impedance spectroscopy are used to provide information on this system.

Research Organization:
Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-36
OSTI ID:
10171920
Report Number(s):
LA-UR-94-2385; CONF-940529-19; ON: DE94016283
Resource Relation:
Conference: 185. Electrochemical Society meeting,San Francisco, CA (United States),22-27 May 1994; Other Information: PBD: [1994]
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English