Carbon nanotube/polypyrrole nanofibers core-shell composites decorated with titanium dioxide nanoparticles for supercapacitor electrodes

The development of new materials for hybrid supercapacitors requires the adequate combination of pseudocapacitance and electrical double layer capacitance, morphology, high surface area and low mass density of electrodes. In this work, we have explored a simple and low cost composite based on incorporation of titanium dioxide/single walled carbon nanotube complex during polymerization of hollow nanotubes of polypyrrole. The resulting composite is characterized by superior electrical properties (high conductivity) and improved electrochemical response. The optimization in the relative concentration of components of ternary composite results in a capacitance of 282 Fg(-1) and specific energy density in order of 1.0 Wh kg(-1) which is a result of synergistic interaction of components during polymerization of polymeric hollow nanotubes and core/shell structures of SWCNTs/polypyrrole decorated with titanium dioxide nanoparticles. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.