Facile Synthesis of Polypyrrole/Reduced Graphene Oxide Composites for High-Performance Supercapacitor Applications

Supercapacitors have drawn a lot of interest as energy storage devices because of their high-power density, quick charge/discharge rates, and long cycle life. However, the creation of cutting-edge electrode materials is essential in order to further improve their performance. Nanostructures made of graphene-based conducting polymers have shown promise because they combine the special qualities of both graphene and conducting polymers. In the present research, we synthesized the composites of reduced graphene oxide and polypyrrole conducting polymer by in situ chemical polymerization by varying their mass ratio. The fabricated samples were characterized by FTIR spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, TEM, XPS, XRD, and cyclic voltammetry for further analyses for these nanostructures’ potential application in energy storage devices. Composite fabrication was verified through FTIR and Raman spectroscopy by confirming distinct peaks. TEM studies confirmed the presence of thin and randomly aggregated graphene oxide nanoparticles. XPS survey spectra identified carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen, with major peaks at 284 eV, 399 eV, and 531 eV, reflecting variations in C, N, and O. Cyclic voltammetry determined specific capacitance values of 4.66 F/g and 6.11 F/g for different mass ratios of polypyrrole and reduced graphene oxide.