Graphite oxide modified poly(benzoquinone-hydrazine) asymmetric nanohybrids for electrochemical energy storage systems

Quinone-based polymers are promising, eco-friendly organic electrode materials for electrochemical energy storage owing to their structural tunability, cost-effectiveness, and fast redox kinetics. However, their solubility in common electrolytes leads to capacity fading and poor cycling stability, which can be alleviated by integrating quinone-based polymers with carbon-based fillers. In this work, binary nanocomposites (PGs) were synthesised by incorporating varying proportions of graphite oxide (GO) into a polyazine (PAZ, a p -benzoquinone-Hydrazine polymer) matrix via an in-situ method. GO was prepared using Hummer’s method, while PAZ was synthesized from p-benzoquinone and hydrazine hydrate in the presence of ZnCl 2 . The electrochemical performance in 1 M H 2 SO 4 was investigated using cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge/discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, highlighting PG-4 (1:2 ratio) as the optimal composite with a high specific capacitance of 475.61 F g −1 at 10 mV s −1 , outperforming PAZ (35.42 F g −1 ) and GO (247.20 F g −1 ). PG-4 unveiled energy and power densities of 10.35 Wh kg −1 and 1007.02 W kg −1 , respectively, along with lower impedance for enhanced charge transport. Structural characterization was supported by FTIR, XRD, SEM, and thermal properties by TGA and DSC, establishing PG-4 as a promising asymmetric supercapacitor material. • Preparation of polyazine (PAZ) conducting polymer from benzoquinone and hydrazine hydrate. • Fabrication of low-cost PAZ-GO composites (PGs) for studying electrochemical energy storage and conversion using CPE. • Analysing the energy storage potential of PGs via., cyclic voltammetry, charge-discharge, and impedance studies. • PG-4 rendering an energy density and power density of 10.35 Wh kg −1 and 1007.02 Wkg −1 respectively.