Three-dimensional architecture of tin dioxide doped polypyrrole/reduced graphene oxide as potential electrode for flexible supercapacitors

In this work, a facile one-pot chronoamperometry method was adopted to prepare the three-dimensional (3D) SnO2 incorporated polypyrrole/reduced graphene oxide to achieve high stability and elevated electrochemical properties. A detailed study has been performed to correlate the structure, surface morphology, redox reaction at the electrode and its impact on the suitability of the material. The morphology analysis showed the presence of SnO2 nanoparticles on graphene sheets forming irregular flower-like coarse clusters, consisting of spinule-like structures on the surfaces that are embedded in polypyrrole matrix. The electrochemical performance reveals that SnO2-PG exhibits a high specific capacitance of 330 F g−1 at a current density of 1 A g−1 in 1 M KCl electrolyte and an excellent cycling stability of 82% even after 2000 cycles, a significant value for polymer nanocomposite. The existence of a high degree of porosity, considerably improved active surface area and the conductivity of SnO2-PG facilitated the better ionic penetration which demonstrates a new architecture for high performance supercapacitor.