P3HT:PCBM/nickel-aluminum layered double hydroxide-graphene foam composites for supercapacitor electrodes

Abstract

In this paper, a simple dip-coating technique is used to deposit a P3HT:PCBM/Nickel Aluminum layered double hydroxide-graphene foam (NiAl-LDH-GF) composite onto a nickel foam (NF) serving as a current collector. A self-organization of the polymer chains is assumed on the Ni-foam grid network during the slow “dark” drying process in normal air. Electrochemical cyclic voltammetry (CV) and constant charge-discharge (CD) measurements show an improvement in the supercapacitive behavior of the pristine P3HT:PCBM by an order of magnitude from 0.29 F cm-2 (P3HT:PCBM nanostructures) to 1.22 F cm-2 (P3HT:PCBM/NiAl-LDH-GF composite structure) resulting from the addition of NiAl-LDH-GF material at a current density of 2 mA cm-2. This capacitance retention after cycling at 10 mA cm-2 also demonstrates the electrode material’s potential for supercapacitor applications.