Polyaniline-Co-Melamine Copolymer-Based Nanocomposite Reinforced with rGO Sheets and ZnO Nanoparticles for High-Performance Supercapacitor Applications

Hybrid composites are regarded as incredibly productive electrode materials for supercapacitors. In the present study, synergistic electrode materials of polyaniline-co-melamine (PM)/reduced graphene oxide (rGO)/Zinc oxide (ZnO) (PMrGZ) with varying concentrations of rGO and ZnO are prepared by the in-situ polymerisation method because it facilitates balanced integration of components in the composite. The structural, thermal, and morphological properties of the composite are studied using XRD, FTIR, TGA, SEM, and EDX techniques. The electrochemical properties of the composites are studied using cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in a 3M H ₂ SO ₄ electrolyte. The in-depth CV assessment discloses that PMrG _0.01 Z _0.03 -1 (rGO: ZnO) features a larger surface area of 0.20 cm², which adds a substantial contribution in ionic conduction, leading to specific capacitance (Cs) of 525 Fg⁻¹ at 10mVs⁻¹. Moreover, excellent cyclic stability of ~ 93.3% is retained over 5000 cycles at 100mV/s¹. The GCD studies reveal energy density (Ed) and power density (Pd) of ~ 13.09 W kg ^− 1 and 0.25 W kg ^− 1, respectively, at the current density (Cd) of 1 Ag ^− 1 . The findings demonstrate that the PMrGZ-1 hybrid composite is a viable candidate for supercapacitor applications.