Copolymerization of aniline/pyrrole by cyclic voltmmetric method and its supercapacitor performance

Poly (anilin-co-pyrrole) (PANPY) was synthesized on A304 stainless steel by the cyclic voltmmetric method from aniline/pyrrole with H2SO4 and p-TSA as dopant. The composition and morphology of PANPY films synthesized by different mole ratios of aniline/pyrrole were characterized by Fourier transfered infared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The supercapacitor performance of the PANPY films were also investigated in 0. 5 mol&middot L-1 H2SO4 solution with cyclic voltammetry (CV) cycling in the range of -0.2 V to 0.7 V (vs SCE), charge/discharge tests and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The results showed that more pyrrole units were incorporated into the PANPY films when the concentration of pyrrole increased. The surface of PANPY (1/1) films synthesized from aniline/pyrrole (1:1 mole ratio) was mainly mushroom-like spheres with some network structure. The PANPY (1/1) films displayed much higher ion exchange capacity, better stability and excellent supercapacitor performance than PANPY (1/2) and PANPY (2/1). The charge transfer resistance of the PANPY (1/1) films was as low as 1.97 Ω, and the specific capacitance was up to 227.88 F &middot g-1.