Synergistic role of BaTiO3 and carbon black in polyaniline nanocomposites: morphology-controlled pathways to high-performance supercapacitors

Polymer-carbon-ceramic hybrid systems offer a versatile platform for advancing high-performance electrochemical energy-storage materials. In this work, PANI/Carbon Black (CB) /BaTiO3 (BTO) nanocomposites were synthesized via rapid-mixing and ice-bath oxidative polymerization routes to finely tune interfacial polarization and electronic transport. The selected components -dielectric BTO nanoparticles and highly conductive CB- provide complementary functionalities that promote efficient charge accumulation and rapid electron mobility. Structural and spectroscopic analyses like XRD, FTIR, FESEM and BET confirmed homogeneous integration and a significant enhancement in surface area. A systematic series of PANI/CB (6 wt%)/BTO composites with varying BTO contents was evaluated, from which the PCB2 formulation (2 wt% BTO + 6 wt% CB, ice-bath route) delivered the best performance, achieving a specific capacitance of 373.22 F/g, an energy density of 74.64 Wh/kg, a power density of 4010.74 W/kg, and a markedly reduced charge-transfer resistance of 67.02 Ω. These results demonstrate a synergistically engineered material platform with clear practical significance for next-generation high-power supercapacitors, portable energy modules, and compact storage systems in wearable, flexible, and miniaturized electronics.