Investigation of polyaniline electrodeposition on hydrophilic/hydrophobic carbon cloth substrates for symmetric coin cell supercapacitors

This research innovatively produced polyaniline-coated carbon cloth (PANI@CC) using an electrochemical deposition process, highlighting the impact of carbon cloth substrate characteristics on the performance of symmetric supercapacitors in a coin cell setup. The study compared the electrochemical performance of hydrophilic and hydrophobic, soft, and hard carbon cloth substrates through cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge–discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The PANI@0-N (hydrophilic soft carbon cloth) substrate showcased superior electrochemical properties, achieving a maximum specific capacitance of 113.3 F g⁻¹ at a current density of 0.1 A g⁻¹, with a noteworthy rate capability of 88.6%. After 2000 galvanostatic charge–discharge cycles at 1 A g⁻¹, the developed symmetric coin cell supercapacitor retained 74% of its initial capacitance, demonstrating notable durability and efficiency. This underscores the significance of substrate selection in the direct synthesis approach for optimizing supercapacitor performance, making the PANI@0-N-based coin cell a promising option for supercapacitor applications. Graphical Abstract: (Figure presented.).