PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF A POLY(PYRROLYL METHANE)/MULTIWALLED CARBON NANOTUBES COMPOSITES

Abstract

A poly(pyrrolyl methane) (Poly[pyrrole-2, 5-diyl(4-methoxybenzylidane)], PPDMOBA)/multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) composites are fabricated by in situ chemical polycondensation of pyrrole and 4-methoxybenzaldehyde on MWNTs. The structure, morphology, thermal stability and electrical property of the resulting composites are investigated via fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and a four-probe method. The electrochemical performance of the composites is determined in a three-electrode system using cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge–discharge (GCD) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques. FTIR, FESEM and TEM confirm that the composites have been successfully prepared, and PPDMOBA is uniformly dispersed in MWNTs. Electrical conductivity of PPDMOBA/MWNTs composites is 1.39 S cm-1, which is significantly larger than that of pristine PPDMOBA. The specific capacitance and charge transfer resistance of the composites is 56 F g-1 (1 mA cm-2) and 0.3Ω, respectively.