A novel conducting sulphur-polypyrrole composite material was prepared by the chemical polymerization method with sodium p-toluenesulphonate as the dopant, 4-styrenesulphonic sodium salts as the surfactant, and FeCl3 as the oxidant. The new material was characterized by Raman spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and scanning electron microscopy. Nanosize polypyrrole particles were uniformly coated onto the surface of the sulphur powder, which significantly improved the electrical conductivity, the capacity and the cycle durability in a lithium cell compared with the bare sulphur electrode. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.