Effect of conductive polypyrrole in poly(acrylonitrile-co-butyl acrylate) water-based binder on the performance of electrochemical double-layer capacitors

Electrochemical double-layer capacitors (EDLCs) have been widely studied due to their high-power densities, despite their low energy densities compared with those of lithium ion batteries. In particular, there have been numerous studies aiming to developing high surface area carbonic material to increase EDLCs' capacitance. However, there have been few studies examining water-based polymeric binder as an inactive component of the EDLCs' electrodes. In this study, we introduce a conductive water-based binder which is synthesized by an in situ two-step polymerization, and use it for EDLC electrodes. Polypyrrole (PPy) is used as an electrically conducting filler for a water-based polyacrylate binder to enhance the electrochemical performance of EDLCs. Consequently, the use of the new poly(pyrrole/acrylonitrile-co-butyl acrylate) (PPyANBA) increases the specific capacitance of the EDLC electrode up to 109.7 F g(-1) from the 101.0 F g(-1) value of the nonconductive PANBA-containing EDLC electrode at 10,000 cycles. This is mainly attributed to the better dispersion and lower electrical resistance of the PPyANBA binder without losing the thermal, ion transport, and binding characteristics of the PANBA.

Automated summary

The study introduces a new conductive water-based binder to enhance the electrochemical performance of EDLC electrodes. By using this new polymer, the specific capacitance of the EDLC electrode is increased to 109.7 F g(-1) and remains stable even after 10,000 cycles.