Synthesis Of Layered Ppy/CRGO Nanocomposites And Their Applications In Supercapacitor Electrodes

Nanocomposites of Polypyrrole (PPY) and chemically reduced graphene oxide (CRGO), PPY/CRGO, have been fabricated through in-situ polymerization of pyrrole on graphene oxide (GO) sheets. The morphologies of as-synthesized PPY/CRGO composites were characterized using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FTSEM), which illustrates that by control on the initial ratio of the GO to pyrrole, the layered composites could be obtained and their thickness could be tuned properly. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) measurements demonstrate that the PPY is chemically grafted on the surface of graphene, instead of a physical loading.The PPY/CRGO electrodes were prepared using a mechanical compressing technique, and the effects of initial ratio of PPY to GO, reaction time, and drying temperature and porosities, on their electrical conductivity and electrochemical properties were studied systematically. We demonstrated that as electrodes for supercapacitor, the PPY /CRGO composites with PPY to CRGO ratio of 10:1 showed a competitive capacitance of 421 F/g which could be further increased to 509 F/g by introducing pores in it, which is higher than that of pure PPY.Given the manifest electrical and electrochemical properties, we envisage that the PPY/CRGO composites should find applications in supercapacitors.