Electrochemical supercapacitor electrode material based on polyacrylic acid/polypyrrole/silver composite

In the present work, we have synthesized polypyrrole (PPY)/polyacrylic acid (PM)/silver (Ag) composite electrodes by chemical polymerization via a simple and cost effective dip coating technique for supercapacitor application. Fourier transform-infrared, Fourier transform-Raman, X-ray photoelectron and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy techniques are used for the phase identification. Surface morphology of the films is examined by field emission scanning electron microscopy, which revealed granular structure for PPY, spherical interlaced granules for PPY/PAA and granules with bright spots of Ag nanoparticles for the PPY/PAA/Ag composites. The supercapacitive behavior of the electrodes is tested in three electrode system with 0.1 M H2SO4 electrolyte by using cyclic voltammetery and charge discharge test. The highest specific capacitance 226 Fg(-1) at 10 mV s(-1) and energy density of 17.45 Wh kg(-1) at 0.5 mA cm(-2) is obtained for the PPY/PAA/Ag composite electrodes. Present work demonstrates an easy way of improving specific capacitance of the polymer electrodes. Thus the work will open a new avenue for designing low cost high performance devices for better supercapacitors. (c) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.