Experimental study on synthesis and microstructure of poly (p-phenylenediamine)/graphene oxide/Au and its performance in supercapacitor

Conductive composite poly (p-phenylenediamine)/graphene oxide/Au (PPD/GO/Au) is synthesized via in situ polymerization with p-phenylenediamine (PDA) used as monomer and HAuCl4 as oxidant and Au source in the presence of graphene oxide (GO). The composite is characterized by FESEM, FT-IR and XRD, and the effect of reaction time and temperature, mass ratio of reactants and additive amount of oxidant are investigated as well. Test results indicate that a ternary composite of PPD/GO/Au, including three phases of PPD, GO and Au nanoparticles, is formed in the system. Compared with the single phase of PPD or GO, the composite has a greatly improved thermal stability. The highest specific capacitance of 238 F/g of the composite which is obviously higher than 11 F/g of individual PPD and 176 F/g of PPD/GO can be obtained at a mass ratio of GO/p-PDA of 1:20 by adding 100 μL of HAuCl4 at 0 °C for 24 h.

► PPD/GO/Au composite is synthesized with an in situ polymerization-reduction method.
► Relative to the single phase the composite has a greatly improved thermal stability.
► Capacitance of PPD/GO/Au is improved a lot compared with that of PPD or PPD/GO.