Dataset of "Enhanced Electrochemical Performance of Renewable Flexible Supercapacitors through the Synergistic Effects of Nitrogen-Doped Carbonaceous Fillers and Controlled Polypyrrole Nanostructuring on Nanocellulose Fibers"

In recent years, the demand for lightweight, flexible, cost-effective and environmentally friendly energy storage devices has increased significantly. In this study, we developed polypyrrole (PPy) based flexible conductive electrodes with carbonaceous fillers derived from polypyrrole nanotubes (PPy-NT) with activated surface via KOH treatment, using a simple and environmentally friendly approach. This approach consisted of in-situ polymerization of PPy nanostructures in presence of selected carbonaceous fillers and cellulose nanofibers (CNF). CNF works as a flexible matrix for electrochemically active material. The morphology of PPy was controlled by using methyl orange azo dye (MO), popular for reliable nanostructuring of conducting polymers. The influence of morphology, textural properties and electrical conductivity of the flexible PPy-based electrodes on their electrochemical performance was investigated. 

The maximum specific capacitance was performed by electrode containing PPy-NT and CNF (172 F/g at 5 mV/s scan rate). However, significant enhancement of capacitance retention was observed in case of PPy-based electrodes enhanced by carbonaceous fillers. In order to test prepared electrodes in two electrode setup, cellulose hydrogel prepared via physical crosslinking was fabricated and successfully incorporated into supercapacitor device as a electrolyte reservoir and separator. In all electrochemical tests, 1 M sulfuric acid electrolyte was used. This study shows possible ways of using renewable materials in supercapacitors and energy storage devices.