Polypyrrole@ silica composites as high performance electrode materials for Lithium-ion batteries

A composite of polypyrrole and silica (PPy@SiO2) was prepared by solution polymerization. Special attention was paid to characterization of the possible electrochemical reduction of nano-SiO2 in the composite. The electrochemical results show that the initial discharge capacity of the PPy@SiO2 composite electrode is 1800 mAh/g. After 50 cycles of charging and discharging, the capacity of discharge is approximately 1300 mAh/g, and the coulomb efficiency is up to 98.3% with the capacity fade rate of 1.7%. It indicates composite electrodes exhibit good rate performance and cycle stability. In addition, compared with the pure silica electrode cell, the capacity of the PPy@SiO2 composite electrode cell is improved obviously.