Enhancement of the electrochemical response of a VO integrated biochar@poly(aniline-pyrrole) hybrid composite-coated graphite electrode.

The fabrication of sustainable electrode materials with high specific capacitance values is essential for designing energy-efficient supercapacitors. With this aim, herein, VO-integrated biochar@poly(aniline-pyrrole), named the BC@CCp@VO hybrid composite, is evaluated as an electrode material. First, biochar (BC) is prepared a simple hydrothermal treatment of sucrose solution. Then, conducting poly(aniline-pyrrole) (CCp) is incorporated a seeded chemical oxidation method to yield BC@CCp composite particles. Finally, the BC@CCp composite is thoroughly blended with calcined VO at a composite to VO (w/w) ratio of 4 : 1. The morphology and surface composition of the BC@CCp@VO hybrid composite are analyzed and confirmed electron microscopy and various spectral analyses. The electrochemical properties of BC@CCp, calcined VO and the BC@CCp@VO-coated graphite electrode are measured and compared. According to galvanostatic charge discharge (GCD) measurements, the BC@CCp@VO-coated electrode shows an exceptionally high capacitance value of 4150.6 F g at a current density of 1.0 A g. The BC@CCp@VO-coated electrode also demonstrates excellent capacitance retention (134%) at 10.0 A g after 1000 charge-discharge cycles. This significant enhancement in the capacitance and stability is achieved owing to the combination of the individual components' properties and the synergistic interplay between calcined VO and the active centers of BC@CCp. These observations represent a significant advancement in the design of sustainable BC@CCp@VO electrode materials for application in energy-efficient supercapacitor devices.