Preparation of high strain polyaniline/polyvinyl alcohol composite and its applications in stretchable supercapacitor

Polyaniline (PANI) is one of the most extensively used conductive polymers. But its development and application has been restricted owing to the poor mechanical properties. Here, PANI/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) composite with improved mechanical performance was prepared by mixing PANI hydrogel and PVA hydrogel. Due to excellent stretching capacity, it can be used as the electrode material for the high strain energy storage device. Therefore, a high strain all-solid-state PANI/PVA supercapacitor was further assembled by this flexible composite. The supercapacitor exhibits a high specific capacitance and excellent electrochemical stability even under tensile strain and over multiple stretching cycles. Meanwhile, the effect of stretching on the electrochemical properties was explored through theoretical simulation analysis and simulation calculation. This study could provide a theoretical reference for the modification of PANI and designing the scalable supercapacitor.