According to Iran Nanotechnology Initiative Council, the nanocomposite was produced at laboratorial scale through a green chemistry method by using relatively cheap raw materials.
The main objective of the research was to use available materials at a reasonable price to produce a special type of electrode to be used in electrochemical capacitors.
In this research, a nanocomposite was produced through an easy method, which can take the place of expensive materials, including ruthenium oxide, in energy storage devices such as supercapacitors. Supercapacitor can store tremendous amounts of energy and are used in solar power applications, battery applications, flashlight applications, etc. Aside from the fact that the supercapacitor can be charged very quickly due to their low internal resistance, they can just as quickly be discharged and tolerate many more charge and discharge cycles than rechargeable batteries.
Raw materials used in the production of the nanocomposite are available and relatively cheap in comparison with those in similar supercapacitors, and they can be easily synthesized through electrochemical methods. The conductive polymer of polyaniline containing very small amount of graphene and gold nanoparticles has been used in the production of the nanocomposite.
The presence of a small amount of graphene significantly increases the stability of polymer because the supercapacitor should have appropriate resistance and repeatability during the charge and discharge cycles. The presence of gold nanoparticles, on the other hand, increases the conductivity of the polymer. Therefore, the application of this nanocomposite can help the extension of the use of green energy and energy storage systems.
The electrochemical synthesis method used in the production of the nanocomposite is in accordance with green chemistry international standards as opposed to chemical synthesis methods that require chemical reactions in the oxidation process.
Results of the research have been published in Applied Surface Science, vol. 353, 2015, pp. 594-599.