Polypyrrole/cellulose nanofiber aerogel as a supercapacitor electrode material

Abstract

Polypyrrole (PPy)/cellulose nanofiber (CNF) aerogels are prepared using the citric acid-Fe³⁺ (CIT-Fe³⁺) colloid as a precursor of the Fe³⁺ oxidant, which can effectively control the microscopic morphology of the PPy/CNF aerogel due to in situ controlled release of Fe³⁺ oxidant to initiate polymerization of the pyrrole monomer with the common stimulus being pH. The Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) specific surface area of the PPy/CNFs (25%) aerogel is up to 402 m² g⁻¹. All solid-state film supercapacitors are fabricated using the PPy/CNF aerogel film as the electrode material. The maximum specific electrode capacitance is about 215 F g⁻¹. The devices also exhibit excellent cycle stability.