Polyaniline/silver nanowire cotton fiber: A flexible electrode material for supercapacitor

Abstract The silver nanowire (AgNWs) / cotton fiber was used as a conductive substrate with high conductivity charge transfer. Then the polyaniline (PANI) molecular chain was fixed on the AgNWs / cotton fiber by in-situ polymerization to prevent its dedoping and improve its cyclic properties. Thus the flexible capacitor electrode material with conductive, specific capacity and cyclic properties was obtained. The results showed that when the mass ratio of KH-560 to AgNWs/cotton fiber was 3:1, the grafting rate of epoxide group on the modified AgNWs/cotton fiber was the highest. When the mass ratio of aniline to modified AgNWs cotton fabric was 3:1, the PANI content of in-situ polymerization on the fabric surface was the highest, 20.83%. The specific capacity of PANI/AgNWs/cotton fiber electrode material was the highest, 154 F/g, after 5000 cycles of charging and discharging, the specific capacity could keep 96%. It is worth mentioning, the introduction of PANI and AgNWs could significantly improve the wear resistance of cotton fiber, the friction resistance of the cotton fabric increased to 36,000 times. It is provided a new idea for design a flexible capacitor electrode material integrating electrical conductivity and cyclic stability.