PEDOT/g-C3N4 binary electrode material for supercapacitors

A novel electrode material for supercapacitor composed of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT) and graphitic-phase C 3 N 4 (g-C 3 N 4 ) was prepared by a layer-by-layer assembly method. The resulting composite of PEDOT/g-C 3 N 4 represented excellent electrochemical stability in neutral electrolyte and enhanced electrochemical performance of capacitance and average energy density in comparison with single PEDOT. The specific capacitance was 137   F   g −1 in H 2 SO 4 and 200   F   g −1 in Na 2 SO 4 at a current density of 2   A   g −1 , respectively. More significantly, the average energy density was 9.65   W   h   kg −1 at an average power density of 4001.86   W   kg −1 in H 2 SO 4 . While in Na 2 SO 4 , the average energy density reached 17.5   W   h   kg −1 at an average power density of 5000   W   kg −1 . More than 89% and 96.5% of capacitance were retained in H 2 SO 4 and Na 2 SO 4 respectively, suggesting that PEDOT/g-C 3 N 4 possessed an excellent cycling stability in view of capacity performance as electrode materials. The property improvement was attributed to the synergistic effects of the two components in the composite.