Synthesis of polypyrrole/sodium carboxymethyl cellulose nanospheres with enhanced supercapacitor performance

•High uniform PPy/CMC nanospheres were synthesized by in-situ oxidation polymerization of pyrrole in the presence of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose as a polymerization template.•Electrochemical tests indicate that the PPy/CMC nanocomposite exhibits high capacitance and excellent cycling stability as electrode material for supercapacitors in 1 M Na2SO4 electrolyte.•The specific capacitance of PPy/CMC nanospheres can be as high as 184 F g−1 at a current density of 0.25 A g−1.

Polypyrrole/sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (PPy/CMC) nanospheres have been synthesized via in-situ oxidation polymerization of pyrrole in the presence of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose as a polymerization template. The size and shape of the composite are uniform with a diameter of about 100 nm. The electrochemical properties of the nanocomposite are investigated using cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge–discharge measurements. The specific capacitance of PPy/CMC nanospheres can be as high as 184 F g−1 at a current density of 0.25 A g−1. Moreover, the hybrid electrode showed good cyclic stability of 80% retention after 200 cycles of charge/discharge after introducing CMC as template. These results indicate a promising potential application of the PPy/CMC nanocomposite used as an effective electrode material in supercapacitors.

Graphical abstractPolypyrrole/sodium carboxymethyl cellulose nanospheres have been synthesized via in-situ polymerization using sodium carboxymethyl cellulose as template and show high specific capacitance of 184 F g−1 at a current density of 0.25 A g−1.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide