Fabrication of polypyrrole (PPy) nanotube electrode for supercapacitors with enhanced electrochemical performance

PPy nanotubes were successfully fabricated by a simple situ polymerization method, using FeCl3 as oxidant, methyl orange (MO) formed by the role of micelles as a guide and soft template. By varying the ratio of oxidant to pyrrole (Py) monomer, the best nanotube structure is obtained when the ratio of Py is 0.5 (mark this specimen as A3). Moreover, the electrochemical properties of PPy nanotube electrode are investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge/discharge (GCD) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). A3 exhibits excellent cycle performance and electrochemical performance. Meanwhile, the specific capacitance of sample A3 is 281.2 F g−1 at a current density of 1 A g−1 and can still retain about 78% after 1000 cycles.