A nanocrystalline Co3O4@polypyrrole/MWCNT hybrid nanocomposite for high performance electrochemical supercapacitors

Abstract

In this study, a ternary hybrid nanocomposite of Co₃O₄@polypyrrole/MWCNT was prepared via oxidative polymerization of pyrrole monomer and a hybrid composite by a hydrothermal process. The synthesized hybrid nanocomposite was characterized by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy-EDX (SEM-EDX), and field emission resolution transmission electron microscopy (FE-TEM). The results of the structural and morphological studies of the hybrid nanocomposite show its controlled morphology and thermal stability. In addition, the electrochemical performances of charge–discharge cycles and impedance results were evaluated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) analysis. The as-synthesized hybrid nanocomposite was used to fabricate a three-electrode system in the presence of an electrochemical cell with 6 M potassium hydroxide (KOH) as electrolyte. The electrochemical performance of the hybrid composite displays good capacitive behavior with a specific capacitance of 609 F g⁻¹ at a current density of 3 A g⁻¹, energy density 84.58 (W h kg⁻¹), power density 1500 (W kg⁻¹), and a good specific capacitance retention of ca. 97.1% after 5000 continuous charge–discharge cycles, indicating that the hybrid nanocomposite can be a promising electroactive material for supercapacitors.