Advanced Electrode Materials for Electrochemical Supercapacitors

Abstract

<p>Electrochemical supercapacitors (ES) have become an attractive research interest in advanced power systems and found many applications as an energy storage device in number of areas. The fabrication of advanced electrodes with novel materials and new techniques plays a key part in determining the properties of ES. Conducting polymer polypyrrole (PPY) has been found to be a promising electrode material for ES due to its high pseudo-capacitance and good electrical conductivity.</p> <p>Polypyrrole (PPY) films were successfully obtained on stainless steel substrates by anodic electropolymerization. Anionic dopants such as 2,6-naphthalenedisulfonic acid disodium salt (NSA), chromotropic acid disodium salt (CHR) and gallic acid were used for the synthesis of PPY. The roles of additives in the electrodeposition process have been discussed. The deposition was performed galvanostatically or potentiodynamically and the electrochemical properties of PPY have been investigated and compared by using different characterization techniques.</p> <p>The comparison of the experimental data for NSA, CHR and gallic acid showed the influence of aromatic ring and OH groups on the capacitive behaviour of PPY films. Adherent PPY films were obtained from pyrrole solutions containing CHR as dopant. The specific capacitance (SC) increased with increasing pyrrole and dopant concentration in the solutions used for deposition. The PPY films prepared on stainless steel substrates by electropolymerization are promising electrode materials for ES.</p>