ABSTRACT Here, the polyaniline–Muga nanosilk (PANI/MNS) nanocomposite was synthesized as an electrode material for high performance supercapacitor applications. Natural biopolymeric Muga silk ( Antheraea assamensis ) was used as the matrix, and polyaniline was polymerized through in situ oxidative polymerization by using ammonium persulfate as oxidant and sulfuric acid as dopant. The structural and chemical properties of the nanocomposite were examined by Raman spectroscopy, UV–Vis spectroscopy, FT‐IR, XRD, and XPS analysis. SEM indicated a granular surface morphology and EDX spectra showed the elemental composition. The nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherms confirmed mesoporosity with Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) specific surface area of 154.33 m 2 /g and pore size distribution of 7.6–18.5 nm (Barrett–Joyner–Halenda method). The electrical conductivity of the nanocomposite was found to be 18.21 × 10 −2 S/cm. Electrochemical performance was evaluated through cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge–discharge (GCD), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The electrode exhibited a high specific capacitance of 390.05 F/g at 1 A/g with 98.25% capacitance retention after 5000 cycles, while the binder‐free configuration further enhanced the capacitance to 410 F/g at the same current density with 97.31% capacitance retention, demonstrating improved electrochemical performance and efficient charge transport. A symmetric two‐electrode cell made up of identical material showed a retention of 86.23% of its specific capacitance upon 5000 cycles with the specific capacitance value of 280 F/g at 1 A/g. This is the first report on the application of PANI/Muga nanosilk nanocomposites as effective and green electrode materials for supercapacitor devices. The novelty of this study lies in demonstrating that Muga nanosilk exhibits comparatively higher intrinsic electrical conductivity (~10 −9 S/cm) than conventional silk fibroin derived from Bombyx mori silk and Eri silk. This relatively enhanced conductivity enables Muga nanosilk to function as an effective charge‐transport facilitating scaffold in silk–polyaniline composites, contributing to improved electrochemical performance.
Begum et al. (Thu,) studied this question.