Nano-composite of polypyrrole/modified mesoporous carbon for electrochemical capacitor application

Nano-thin polypyrrole (PPy) layers were coated on chemically modified ordered mesoporous carbon (m-CMK-3) by an in situ chemical polymerization. Structural and morphological characterizations of m-CMK-3/PPy composites were carried out using field emission scanning electron microscopy. Pseudo-capacitive behavior of the deposited PPy layers on m-CMK-3 was investigated by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge–discharge and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. As results of this study, the thin layer of PPy in the composite electrode was effective to obtain fully reversible and very fast Faradaic reaction. A maximum discharge capacity of 427 F g−1 or 487 F g−1 after correcting for weight percent of PPy phase at the current density of 5 mA cm−2, could be achieved in a half-cell setup configuration for the m-CMK-3/PPy composites electrode, suggesting its potential application in electrode material for electrochemical capacitors.