Self-assembled polypyrrole hierarchical porous networks as the cathode and porous three dimensional carbonaceous networks as the anode materials for asymmetric supercapacitor

Herein, we report the phytic acid (PA) mediated self-assembled polypyrrole (PPy) networks by one-pot fabrication step for energy storage application. Simultaneous interaction of PPy segments with PA via hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interaction results in the formation of hierarchical porous electrode material. Electrochemical data exhibited PA-assisted synthesized PPy network showed the improved capacitance about 775.3 F g(-1) at 1 A g(-1) which was significantly higher compared to its corresponding counterpart, PPy (without PA) that showed only 473.5 F g(-1), indicating the key role of PA in designing the electrode materials. Three-dimensional porous electrospun carbon nanofibers (P@3D-CNEs) prepared by the modified gas-foamed method were used as a negative electrode material which exhibited 205.5 F g(-1) at 1 A g(-1) current density. Further, the assembled device (PPy@PA//P@3D-CNIFs) exhibited delivery of a maximum specific energy (44.8 Wh kg(-1)) at a specific power (850.0 W kg(-1)) with excellent cycling stability (84%) after 5,000 charges/discharge cycles. This work expects to deliver a new strategy to make asymmetrical supercapacitor device with high specific energy and superior stability from the PA assisted PPy networks as the cathode and porous carbon networks as the anode materials.

Automated summary

The study reported the significance of phytic acid-mediated polypyrrole networks in energy storage applications, showcasing the self-assembly of porous electrode materials through hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions, resulting in enhanced capacitance, with phytic acid playing a key role in electrode material design.