LAUSR

Abstract The controllable synthesis of Fe3O4/PANI (polyaniline) based on natural three-dimensional (3D) porous DE (diatomite) is clarified. The successful transition from DE/FeOOH to DE/Fe3O4 was realized by hydrothermal method and subsequent carbon reduction reaction. The fabricated PANI coating on DE/Fe3O4 was performed by a common chemical oxidation method. The successful synthesis of DE/Fe3O4/PANI is proved by XRD, XPS, FTIR and Raman test. DE/Fe3O4/PANI (denoted as DFP-50) hybrid composite exhibits a higher specific capacitance due to the good synergistic effects between DE/Fe3O4 and PANI. Moreover, to further explore the influences of PANI on electrochemical properties, DFP-25 and DFP-100 have been synthesized by adjusting the experimental parameter of PANI. Electrochemical tests of DFP-25 display that DFP-25 composite shows the best comprehensive electrochemical performance that can achieve a balance between increasing specific capacitance and maintaining cycle stability. The results shows DE/Fe3O4/PANI hybrid composite holds great potential for economical supercapacitor.