Synthetic approach from polypyrrole nanotubes to nitrogen doped pyrolyzed carbon nanotubes for asymmetric supercapacitors

Pseudocapacitive materials are highly capable to achieve high energy density integrated with high power electrostatic capacitive materials. However, finding a suitable electrostatic capacitive material to integrate with pseudocapacitive material in order to achieve high energy density with good rate capability is still a challenge. Herein, we are providing a novel synthetic approach starting from the synthesis of polypyrrole nanotubes (PPy-NTs) and ending up at the carbonization of PPy-NTs to obtain N-doped carbon nanotubes (N-CNTs). With highly porous nature of PPy-NTs and great graphitic texture with copious heteroatom functionalities, N-CNTs significantly promoted the faradic pseudo-capacitors, demonstrating high single-electrode capacitance over 332 F/g(PPy-NTs) and 228 F/g(N-CNTs) in 1 M H2SO4 aqueous solution. Further, a novel asymmetric supercapacitor with PPy-NTs as positive and N-CNTs as negative electrode has been fabricated. This PPy-NTs//N-CNTs cell effectively provides high operation voltage (1.4 V) and hence high energy density over 28.95 W h/kg (0.41 mW h/cm3) with a high power density of 7.75 kW/kg (113 mW/cm3) and cyclic stability of 89.98% after 2000 cycles. •Synthesis of 1D PPy nanotubes.•Carbonization of PPy nanotubes to prepare N doped carbon nanotubes (N-CNTs).•Fabrication of asymmetric supercapacitor with PPy-NTs//N-CNTs.•High performance asymmetric device.