Flexible all-solid-state supercapacitors based on PPy/rGO nanocomposite on cotton fabric

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Polypyrrole (PPy) offers high electrochemical activity and low cost, making it promising for wearable supercapacitors.
• Reduced graphene oxide (rGO) can enhance the stability and performance of PPy-based materials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prepare and characterize polypyrrole/reduced graphene oxide (PPy/rGO) nanocomposite cotton fabric (NCF) for wearable supercapacitors.
• To evaluate the electrochemical performance and stability of the PPy/rGO NCF electrodes.

Main Methods:

• Chemical polymerization was used to synthesize the PPy/rGO nanocomposite cotton fabric.
• Electrochemical techniques were employed to assess specific capacitance, capacitance retention, and stability under various conditions.

Main Results:

• The PPy/rGO NCF exhibited superior electrochemical performance compared to individual components.
• The PPy-0.5/rGO NCF electrode achieved a specific capacitance of 9300 mF cm⁻² at 1 mA cm⁻² with 94.47% retention after 10,000 cycles.
• The electrode demonstrated excellent capacitance stability under bending and good reusability, enabling all-solid-state supercapacitors with high energy density (167 μWh cm⁻²).

Conclusions:

• The PPy/rGO NCF electrode shows significant potential for high-performance flexible supercapacitor applications.
• The integration of rGO effectively mitigates PPy deformation, enhancing device durability.
• This material offers a viable solution for advanced wearable energy storage devices.