Synthesis and characterization of PANI nanostructures for supercapacitors and photoluminescence

Polyaniline structures were synthesized through a chemical method using citric acid and oxalic acid as carriers and 5 mu m size alpha-alumina particles as a template. The obtained nano-size pristine products were characterized using X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, optical absorption spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry (CV). Nanofibrous PANI was obtained with oxalic acid, nanoparticles with oxalic acid and alpha-alumina, net-like nanostructures with citric acid and spherical nanoparticles with citric acid and alpha-alumina. The high intensity photoluminescence of PANI prepared with oxalic acid as a carrier is possibly due to greater chances of exciton formation resulting from increased pi-electron mobility. Electrochemical studies of PANI electrodes in 2.0 M H2SO4 were carried out at various scan rates. The CVs showed rectangular shape with added pronounced oxidation and reduction peaks.