Carbon nanotube and conducting polymer composites for supercapacitors

Composites of carbon nanotubes and conducting polymers can be prepared via chemical synthesis, electrochemical deposition on preformed carbon nanotube electrodes, or by electrochemical co-deposition. The composites combine the large pseudocapacitance of the conducting polymers with the fast charging/discharging double-layer capacitance and excellent mechanical properties of the carbon nanotubes. The electrochemically co-deposited composites are the most homogeneous and show an unusual interaction between the polymer and nanotubes, giving rise to a strengthened electron delocalisation and conjugation along the polymer chains. As a result they exhibit excellent electrochemical charge storage properties and fast charge/discharge switching, making them promising electrode materials for high power supercapacitors. (c) 2008 National Natural Science Foundation of China and Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier Limited and Science in China Press. All rights reserved.