Fabrication of polypyrrole (PPy)/carbon nanotube (CNT) composite electrode on ceramic fabric for supercapacitor applications

Polypyrrole (PPy)/carbon nanotube (CNT) composite electrodes are fabricated on ceramic fabrics for electrochemical capacitor applications. The CNTs are grown on the ceramic fabrics by the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method and PPy is subsequently coated on them by chemical polymerization. The large surface area and high conductivity of the CNTs on the porous ceramic fabrics enhance their energy storage capacity. PPy provides not only additional capacitance as an active material, but also enhances the adhesion between the CNTs and ceramic fabrics. Furthermore, PPy acts as a conducting binder for connecting every individual CNT to increase the capacitance. The morphology of the PPy-CNTs on the ceramic fabrics is confirmed by SEM and TEM, and the electrochemical characteristics are investigated by cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge tests. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.