Development of a new hybrid CNT-TEPA@poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene-co-3-(pyrrol-1-methyl)pyridine) for application as electrode active material in supercapacitors

Abstract

We report the synthesis of a CNT-TEPA@PEPy hybrid material by the copolymerization of EDOT and Py analogs units covalently bonded to TEPA modified carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The chemical structure and morphology of the hybrid were compared to those of the unmodified CNTs using FTIR, Raman and XPS spectroscopies. The hybrid was applied as the electrode active material in symmetric supercapacitors (SCs) which were evaluated in aqueous and organic (acetonitrile) electrolytes to study the versatility of the as-synthesized CNT-TEPA@PEPy. The capacitances values of the cells obtained from the hybrid-based SCs are 56% and 115% higher than those of the cells prepared with the unmodified CNT in organic and aqueous electrolytes, respectively. The full cells assembled with CNT-TEPA@PEPy exhibited excellent cyclability with 81.3% and 77.5% of capacitance retention after 5000 cycles in aqueous and organic media, respectively. The device properties indicate the feasibility of the applied synthetic approach, showing that the prepared hybrid is a promising material for use in highly cyclable supercapacitors.