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.