Preparation and electrochemical performances of graphite oxide/polypyrrole composites

Graphite oxide/polypyrrole composites (GPys) were prepared by in situ polymerization and reduced by NaBH4 to prepare reduced graphite oxide/polypyrrole composites (R-GPys). On the basis of the morphological and structural characterization of the composites by Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) tests, the electrochemical performances of the composites were investigated by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge-discharge and electrochemical impedance techniques. The experimental results showed that the specific capacitances of the composites before and after reduction (197 and 180 F/g) were highly improved compared with that of pristine graphite oxide (11 F/g) and polypyrrole (112 F/g), respectively. The capacitance retention of about 73% for R-GPys compared with 12% for PPy and 47% for GPys after 1200 cycles indicated the high cycle stability of the R-GPys and its potential as an electrode material for supercapacitor applications. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.