Study on the assembling reaction of graphite oxide nanosheets and polycations Original Research Article

The assembling behavior between graphite oxide (GO) nanosheets and polydiallyldimethylammonium (PDDA) polycations was investigated by both layer-by-layer method and flocculated technology, and the capacitive performance of the assembled hybrid composite was also studied. Sequential alternate adsorption of GO nanosheets and PDDA polycations yielded multilayer films while their simple mixing produced lamellar materials. X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicated that the combination of the multilayer film produced XRD Bragg peak having basal spacing of 1.09 nm, which was compatible with the sum of one layer GO nanosheets and one layer of PDDA polycations. A different assembling process took place for the flocculated material; its XRD Bragg peaks had multilayer spacing of 1.49 nm, which was compatible with the sum of one layer GO nanosheets and two layers of PDDA polycations. UV–visible absorption spectra exhibited progressive enhancement of optical density due to GO, providing strong evidence for regular growth of multilayer films. Scanning electron microscopy images of the multilayer film and flocculated material displayed lamellar features. The flocculated material showed good capacitive behavior and cycling stability, and the specific capacitance value was 176 F g−1.