High-performance supercapacitor electrode from betel nut nanocellulose/polyaniline/ZnO ternary nano-composite

A ternary nano-composite supercapacitor material was developed by embedding ZnO nanoparticles on a binary nano-composite of betel nut nanocellulose (BNNC) and polyaniline (PANI) through straight forward precipitation method. The crystallinity, chemical composition, morphology, optical properties, and thermal stability of the BNNC/PANI binary and BNNC/PANI/ZnO ternary nano-composites were determined. A remarkable electrical conductivity of the BNNC/PANI/ZnO nano-composites reached 3.8 × 10−2 Scm−1. The BNNC/PANI/ZnO ternary nano-composite electrode showed a maximum specific capacitance of 571.42 Fg−1at 0.1 Ag−1 current density with specific surface area of 114.25 m2/g which is double of the BNNC/PANI binary composite. After 5000 charge/discharge cycles, the ternary nano-composite electrode made of BNNC, PANI, and ZnO shows beneficial redox repeatability and cycle stability of 97.84 %. A Symmetrical two-electrode supercapacitor device with a high specific capacitance of 40.2 Fg−1 at 7 Ag−1 and 97.84 % capacity retention over 5000 cycles has been assembled. A significant energy density value of 14.84 Whkg−1 and a power density of 540.29 Wkg−1were obtained for the prepared electrodes.The combination of the three components produces a synergistic effect that increases specific capacitance and cyclic stability, with a good electrochemical performance. The resulting ternary nano-composite has potential as an environmentally friendly, low-cost, lightweight, and flexible electrode materials source for electrical energy storage devices.