Fabrication of Electropolymerized Binder-Free Flexible Electrode of PANI-Fe-Doped Borassus flabellifer<i>-</i>Biomass-Derived (0D)-Carbon Quantum Dots for High-Performance Asymmetric Supercapacitors

The rapid evolution of energy storage technologies demands electrode materials that deliver a high energy density, flexibility, and long-term stability. In this work, a binder-free, flexible supercapacitor electrode was fabricated via electro-polymerization of polyaniline (PANI) doped with Fe ions a...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Nithesh Kumar Krishnan (22765567) (author)
Other Authors: Esakkimuthu Shanmugasundaram (18149399) (author), Harini Bhagyaraj (22765570) (author), Kannan Vellaisamy (18149402) (author), Amos Ravi (22765573) (author), As’ad Ibrahim (22765576) (author), Na’il Saleh (1844110) (author), Stalin Thambusamy (18149411) (author)
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The rapid evolution of energy storage technologies demands electrode materials that deliver a high energy density, flexibility, and long-term stability. In this work, a binder-free, flexible supercapacitor electrode was fabricated via electro-polymerization of polyaniline (PANI) doped with Fe ions and carbon quantum dots (CQD). The novelty of this study lies in the first-time use of biomass-derived CQDs from Borassus flabellifer, which exhibit a strong natural affinity toward Fe<sup>3+</sup> ions, enabling uniform incorporation into the PANI matrix during electro-polymerization. This unique design integrates three complementary charge-storage mechanisms by high conductivity from the PANI backbone, reversible Fe<sup>3+</sup> redox activity, and EDLC-type capacitance from the CQD, along with their role as conductive spacers to stabilize Fe<sup>3+</sup> redox centers and prevent polymer aggregation. Owing to this synergy, the PANI-Fe-CQD polymerized on the CC electrode achieved a high areal capacitance of 1212.5 mF/cm<sup>2</sup> at 1 mA/cm<sup>2</sup> with 86.9% retention after 5000 cycles, while an asymmetric device (AC//PVA-H<sub>2</sub>SO<sub>4</sub>//PANI-Fe-CQD) delivered an energy density of 53.25 μWh/cm<sup>2</sup> at a power density of 0.9 mW/cm<sup>2</sup> and retained 91.2% capacitance after 5000 cycles. This work possesses a novel strategy of integrating biomass-derived B. flabellifer CQDs, not only replacing the need for binders and conductive agents but also enhancing the electrochemical performance of flexible electrodes, offering new directions for sustainable, high-performance energy storage devices.