Ordered polypyrrole by interfacial polymerization as electrode material for high-performance Zn2+ hybrid supercapacitors
摘要
Conventionally synthesized polypyrrole (PPy-s) via solution polymerization exhibits randomly aligned molecular chains and low crystallinity, which limits its specific energy and long-term cycling stability. In this work, we systematically optimized the interfacial polymerization of pyrrole, resulting in polypyrrole (PPy-i) with a flake-like structure, high crystallinity, enhanced electrical conductivity, and improved stability due to ordered molecular stacking. As expected, PPy-i demonstrates a specific capacitance of 220 F g−1 at 1 A g−1, three times higher than that of PPy-s (69 F g−1). A zinc hybrid supercapacitor (ZHSC) based on PPy-i achieves a capacitance of 491 F g−1 at 10 mV s−1, along with a stable charge storage capacitance of 352 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1, and retains 94% of its initial capacitance after 10,000 cycles. Notably, the PPy-i cathode endows the ZHSC with a high specific energy of 115 Wh kg−1 at 696 W kg−1, outperforming most PPy-based electrodes. In summary, interfacial polymerization offers an effective strategy for tailoring the microstructure of polypyrrole and enhancing its electrochemical performance.