In-situ engineered highly-crystalline Polythiophene empowered electrochemical capacitor-II: Anomalous electrochemical charge storage behavior of Polythiophene-rGO composite

We developed in-situ engineered polycrystalline polythiophene (PTh) and its composite with reduced graphene oxide (PTh-rGO) via a simple chemical synthesis. The PTh-rGO-based electrodes in a symmetrical device with xanthan gum in 1 M aq. Na2SO4 as an electrolyte, delivers a specific capacitance (Csp) of 114.7 F g–1 (electrode) and 28.7 F g–1 (cell) at an applied current density of 0.2 A g−1. The maximum energy and power densities recorded from the device were 588.0 mWh kg−1 and 1.1 kW kg−1 at 1.5 A g−1. The device exhibited a remarkable retention of Csp of 98.9 % over 10,000 continuous galvanostatic charge–discharge cycles highlighting an excellent performance. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis emphasizes material’s excellent structural integrity. This is attributed to the crystalline phases present in the matrix.