Effect of Acid Blue BRL on morphology and electrochemical properties of polypyrrole nanomaterials

The spherical or plate-shaped polypyrrole (PPy) nanomaterials were prepared via the chemical oxidative polymerization of pyrrole in the presence of Acid Blue BRL (2-anthracenesulfonic acid, 4-[[4-(acetylmethylamino)phenyl]amino]-1-amino-9, 10-dihydro-9, 10-dioxo, monosodium salt) as both dopant and surfactant. Cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical AC impedance spectroscopy, and galvanostatic charge–discharge tests at various current densities were used to characterize the electrochemical characteristics of the PPy/Acid Blue BRL nanomaterials. A reversible 2e−/ 2H+ redox process was observed for all the PPy/Acid Blue BRL samples. The enhancement of UV–vis characteristic absorption of the π–π* transition of polypyrrole and thermostability of the samples was also observed, due to the doping reaction. The flake-shaped PPy/Acid Blue BRL sample exhibited the highest electrical conductivity of 8.33 S cm− 1 and the highest specific capacitance of 514 F g− 1. The electrochemical data indicated that the formation of the plate-shaped structure of the PPy/Acid Blue BRL nanomaterials improved the electrochemical properties of PPy.