Polyaniline (PANI) is one of the most common polymers known for its conducting properties. However, poor water solubility limits its applications. In this work, PANI has been functionalized with sulfonic acid groups to produce sulfonated PANI (SPANI) offering excellent solubility in water. To compensate for the decrease of electrical conductivity due to functionalization, SPANI was combined with reduced graphene oxide (RGO) to form SPANI/RGO composites with interesting optical, thermal, and electrical properties. The composites have been characterized using X‐ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy, UV–vis absorption spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, cyclic voltammetry, and four probe electrical conductivity measurement. The SPANI/RGO composites show increased thermal stability, reduced optical band gap and improved electrochemical properties compared with the pure polymer. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 42766.

The potential for high power lithium ion batteries have made them one of the most attractive candidates for electric as well as hybrid electric vehicles. As cathode material for lithium ion rechargeable batteries, the lithium based layered as well as spinel oxides remain attractive candidates. The capacity of these cathodes has so for been limited to 160 mAh/g in most cases and their electrochemical performance strongly depended on the synthesis conditions. With the aim to increase the discharge capacity beyond 160 mAh/g with the improved cycleability and rate capabilities, in the present work, we have synthesized a solid solution series of layered xLi[Li 0.33 Mn 0.66 ]O 2 (1-x)Li[Ni 0.8 Co 0.15 Zr 0.05 ]O 2 (0.3