Electrochemical Properties and Application Prospects of Electroactive Composite Supercapacitors Based on Polyaniline

This article examines the operating principles of electrochemical energy storage devices—supercapacitors—and analyzes the physical limitations of conventional electrode materials. To overcome challenges such as large overall dimensions, low active surface density, and poor oxidation resistance in currently utilized supercapacitors, an approach employing polyaniline (PANI)-based electroactive composite materials is proposed. It is established that charge accumulation in the composite system proceeds via both the electric double layer (EDLC) mechanism and Faradaic reversible redox reactions. Conjugating the polyaniline matrix with an active substrate successfully eliminates the mechanical brittleness inherent to pure conducting polymers. Furthermore, the practical significance of symmetric supercapacitors for industrial power factor correction is demonstrated.