<p>Polypyrrole (PPY), a class of conducting polymers, has gained significant importance in energy storage devices due to its pseudocapacitor behaviour. This study convincingly demonstrates the effectiveness of PPY and its nanocomposite PPY-Fe₂O₃ (5–15%) in supercapacitor applications, which was prepared via a robust in-situ chemical oxidation method. X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-effect scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis), and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy techniques were employed to provide significant insights into the structural, morphological, and optical properties of the developed materials. The XRD results confirm the amorphous nature of PPY, while the incorporation of Fe₂O₃ significantly enhances the crystallinity in PPY. The UV–Vis study illustrates that the optical band gaps of PPY were 2.37&#xa0;eV and 2.29, 2.2, and 2.1&#xa0;eV for PPY-Fe₂O₃ (5–15%), respectively. Furthermore, the electrochemical analyses highlight impressive specific capacitance values of 130 F/g for PPY, escalating to 204, 245 and 367 F/g for the PPY-Fe₂O₃ (5–15%) nanocomposites, respectively. Notably, capacitance retention after 3000 cycles is recorded at 64% for PPY and reaches 71%, 77%, and 87% for the PPY-Fe₂O₃ (5–15%) nanocomposites. These compelling results firmly establish the exceptional potential of PPY/Fe₂O₃ nanocomposites for advanced supercapacitor applications.</p> Graphical abstract <p></p>