Preparation of polyaniline hollow microspheres/zinc composite and its application in lithium battery

Polyaniline (PANI) hollow microspheres were synthesized by a self-assembly method in aqueous solution of poly (2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid) (PAMPS), and then microspheric zinc (Zn) was introduced into PANI to prepare PANI hollow microspheres/Zn composite. The structure and morphology of as-synthesized samples were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The charge/discharge property, cyclic voltammetry, and alternating current (AC) impedance spectroscopy of as-prepared samples were also examined in detail. The results showed that the electrical conductivity of PANI/Zn composite reached 21.2 ± 0.16 S/cm at 20 wt% of Zn, which was 11.4 S/cm higher than that of PANI. The first discharge capacity of PANI/Zn lithium battery reached 570.8 mAh/g at a current density of 0.2 mA/cm2. After 15 cycles, it remained at 159 mAh/g, which was 107 mAh/g higher than that of PANI lithium battery. Furthermore, the results of AC impedance test showed that the addition of Zn powders significantly reduced the internal resistance of battery. Compared with PANI, PANI/Zn composite showed greater capacity, higher conductivity, and charge/discharge efficiency, which was more suitable for the cathode material of high performance lithium battery.