Copper Chromite-Polyaniline Nanocomposite: An Advanced Electrode Material for High Performance Energy Storage

[Display omitted] •Novel CuCr2O4-PANI nanocomposite is reported for high-performance energy storage.•High specific capacity, energy, power density and cycling stability are achieved.•The key role of CuCr2O4 in enhancing the electrochemical properties is explained. In this study, we report a novel copper chromite-polyaniline (CuCr2O4-PANI) nanocomposite electrode material for fabrication of high-performance energy storage. First CuCr2O4 is synthesized via sol-gel driven epoxide method followed by its nanocomposite with PANI through in situ chemical oxidative polymerization method. The micro structure and morphology of CuCr2O4-PANI are characterized by various techniques. The as synthesized nanocomposite with optimized ratio exhibits a specific capacity of 479.2Cg−1 at 2mVs−1 and high cycling stability with 93.9% capacity retention after 1000 charge-discharge cycles. Furthermore, it shows energy and power densities of 26.6Whkg−1 and 3600Wkg−1, respectively. The change in electrochemical properties of the nanocomposite with increasing CuCr2O4 loading is explained in detail.