Graphene oxide-doped poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride) for high-energy supercapacitors

Reliable energy-storage materials that can provide enhanced capacitance with good cycling stability along with improved energy and power densities are exceedingly relevant in the commercial arena to attenuate the prevalent energy shortage. Polymers with structural flexibility and good mechanical and thermal stability can be coupled with carbon-based additives to obtain an electrochemical platform for energy storage without compromising on the required thermal and mechanical attributes. Here, a styrene–maleic anhydride copolymer was modified with a diamine to form a polyimide. The samples were characterized using ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, carbon-13 (¹³C) nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Fourier transform Raman spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction to understand and investigate the spectral, morphological and electrochemical characteristics of the polymer nanocomposites. Efficacious intercalation of graphene oxide resulted in the formation of polymer nanocomposites that can act as excellent supercapacitor electrodes with a high specific capacitance of 700 F/g at 0.5 A/g and an energy and a power density of 129.23 Wh/kg and 5572 W/kg, respectively.