MoS2 incorporated carbon allotropes (activated carbon,graphene, MWCNT) as electrodes in symmetric supercapacitors

Symmetric supercapacitor devices were fabricated from MoS₂ incorporated carbon allotropes such as activated carbon (AC)/MoS₂, graphene/MoS₂ and MWCNT/MoS₂. The device performance was evaluated using cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The electrochemical properties of the devices fabricated from carbon allotropes (activated carbon, graphene, MWCNT) were remarkably enhanced to above 50% by the incorporation MoS₂ phases. Out of the three fabricated devices, electrochemical performance of AC/MoS₂ as found to be superior. The specific capacitance and energy density of this device is 216 ​F/g and 6.2 ​Wh/Kg respectively with excellent higher rate capability and longer cyclic durability. The devices fabricated from graphene/MoS₂ and MWCNT/MoS₂ has exhibited a specific capacitance value of 202 ​F/g and 161 ​F/g with an energy density value of 5.68 ​Wh/Kg and 3.95 ​Wh/Kg respectively.     

Surface modulated hierarchical graphene film via sulfur and phosphorus dual-doping for high performance flexible supercapacitors

The steam-assistant heteroatoms of sulfur and phosphorus dual-doped graphene film fabricated via an ice-template and thermal-activation approach demonstrates an excellent pseudocapacitive behavior in flexible electrochemical capacitors.     

Scalable activated carbon/graphene based supercapacitors with improved capacitance retention at high current densities

Scalable, highly stable supercapacitor electrodes were developed from the mixture of a tea factory waste based activated carbon (AC) and a low-cost electrochemical exfoliated graphene (EEG). The hybrid electrodes showed notably enhanced stability at high current densities. The AC sample was prepared by chemical method and exposed to a further heat treatment to enhance electrochemical performance. Graphene used in the preparation of hybrid electrodes was obtained by direct electrochemical exfoliation of graphite in an aqueous solution. Detailed structural characterization of AC, EEG, and hybrid material was performed. The original electrochemical performances of AC and EEG were examined in button size cells using an aqueous electrolyte. The hybrid materials were prepared by mixing AC and EEG at different mass percentage ratios, and tested as supercapacitor electrodes under the same conditions. Capacitance stability of the electrodes developed from AC:EEG (70:30) at high currents increased by about 45% compared to the original AC. The highest gravimetric capacitance (110 F/g) was achieved by this hybrid electrode. The hybrid electrode was scaled up to the pouch size and tested using an organic electrolyte. The organic electrolyte was preferred for scaling up due to its wider voltage ranges. The pouch cell had a gravimetric capacitance of 85 F/g and exhibited as good performance as the coin cell in the organic electrolyte.     

Temperature stability of symmetric activated carbon supercapacitors assembled with in situ electrodeposited poly(vinyl alcohol) potassium borate hydrogel electrolyte

Temperature stability of symmetric activated carbon (AC) supercapacitors (SCs) assembled with in situ electrodeposited poly(vinyl alcohol) potassium borate hydrogel electrolyte was systematically studied and compared with that of AC SCs assembled with liquid aqueous electrolytes in the temperature range from -5℃ to 80℃.     

Activated carbon and its hybrid composites with manganese (IV) oxide as effectual electrode materials for high performance supercapacitor

Waste wood-dust of Dalbergia sisoo (Sisau) is presented, as a novel, low-cost, renewable, and sustainable source of agro-waste for the production of a highly porous activated carbon electrodes (Ds-electrodes) for supercapacitor. Ds-electrode was initially tested as supercapacitor electrode, which showed a lesser specific capacitance of 104.4 Fg^?1. Therefore, hybrid-composite-electrodes (HCEs) were fabricated by adopting the nanostructured “manganese IV oxide (MnO₂)-activated carbon (Ds) composite” in various ratios as the core electrode materials. The HCEs was prepared via a simple facile mechanical mixing method and polyvinylidine fluoride (PVDF) polymeric solution was used as the electrode material binder. The experimental results showed that the 1:1 Ds: MnO₂ composite displayed highest specific capacitance of 300.2 Fg^?1, capacity retention of 96.3 % after 1000 cycles, 16.3 WhKg^?1 of specific energy density at power density of 148.2 WKg^?1 and low equivalent series resistance (ESR) value of 0.41 Ω at equivalent (1:1, Ds:MnO₂) loading of MnO₂ to Ds. It is clear that the equivalent (1:1) concentration of MnO₂ has improved the capacitive performance of the composite via pseudocapacitance charge storage mechanism as well as the enhancement on the specific surface area of the electrode. However, further increasing of the MnO₂ content (1:2, Ds:MnO₂) in the electrode was found to distort the capacitive performances and deteriorate the specific surface area of the electrode, mainly due to the aggregation of the MnO₂ particles within the composite.     

Hydrothermal synthesis of reduced graphene sheets/Fe2O3 nanorods composites and their enhanced electrochemical performance for supercapacitors

Reduced graphene nanosheets/Fe₂O₃ nanorods (GNS/Fe₂O₃) composite has been fabricated by a hydrothermal route for supercapacitor electrode materials. The obtained GNS/Fe₂O₃ composite formed a uniform structure with the Fe₂O₃ nanorods grew on the graphene surface and/or filled between the graphene sheets. The electrochemical performances of the GNS/Fe₂O₃ hybrid supercapacitor were tested by cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and galvanostatic charge–discharge tests in 6 M KOH electrolyte. Comparing with the pure Fe₂O₃ electrode, GNS/Fe₂O₃ composite electrode exhibits an enhanced specific capacitance of 320 F g⁻¹ at 10 mA cm⁻² and an excellent cycle-ability with capacity retention of about 97% after 500 cycles. The simple and cost-effective preparation technique of this composite with good capacitive behavior encourages its potential commercial application.     

活性炭表面担载氧化锰复合电极的电化学电容性能

通过在两种商品活性炭XC-72(比表面250m2·g-1)和YEC-8(比表面1726m·2g-1)电极表面涂刷Mn(NO3)2,并在200℃进行热分解得到表面担载氧化锰的复合材料电极.采用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)和X射线衍射(XRD)表征电极的形貌和氧化锰的晶体结构,采用循环伏安、恒流充放电和交流阻抗考察了不同电极的电化学电容性能.结果表明,Mn(NO3)2在200℃的热解产物是α-Mn2O3和α-Mn3O4的混合物.当C和MnOx的质量比为2∶1和9∶1时,XC-72/MnOx中氧化锰的比电容分别达到499和435F·g-1,YEC-8/MnOx中氧化锰的比电容分别达到554和606F·g-1,表明氧化锰的赝电容对电极比电容的贡献十分显著.     

High performance pliable supercapacitor fabricated using activated carbon nanospheres intercalated into boron nitride nanoplates by pulsed laser ablation technique

Pliable supercapacitor, yielding specific capacitance (C_s) and energy density as high as 348 F g⁻¹ and 48.3 Wh Kg⁻¹ respectively was fabricated using modified activated carbon electrodes. The nanospheres of activated carbon (AC) were anchored on the nanoplates of boron nitride (BN) by employing the facile technique of pulsed laser ablation in liquid (PLAL) using 532 nm focused laser beam. Four different variants of electrode materials were synthesized by varying the weight percentage (1%, 3%, 5% and 10%) of BN in AC in the PLAL precursor solution. The morphological characteristics, the elemental composition and the structural analysis of the synthesized electrode materials were studied respectively by FESEM, XPS and XRD. The morphological studies indicated that the PLAL synthesis of the electrode materials resulted in proper intercalation of carbon nanospheres into BN nanoplates, which resulted in the observed enhanced performance of the fabricated supercapacitor. Four supercapacitors in this work were fabricated using the four variants of synthesized electrode materials in conjunction with gel polymer electrolyte (GPE). GPE are well known for their non-corrosive nature and best sealing ability to avoid any leakage that results in increasing the cycle life of the device. The performance of the fabricated supercapacitors was evaluated using cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge discharge (GCD) measurement and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The results indicate that the supercapacitor fabricated using 3% BN in AC as electrode material manifested the best specific capacitance and energy density. Also it was found that the supercapacitor maintained 85% of its initial capacitance even after 5000 charge/discharge cycles.     

Highly stable and antifouling graphene oxide membranes prepared by bio-inspired modification for water purification

Graphene oxide (GO) membranes show great potential in molecular separation for water treatment. However, the inferior stability of GO membranes is a major bottleneck for practical applications. In this study, bio-inspired polydopamine (PDA) deposition is reported for enhancing the stability of GO membranes. Through simple and mild immersion, PDA is self-polymerized on GO membranes. The blocking of PDA chains to membrane defects improves the rejections for various molecules. Because the inherently strong adhesion and crosslinking of PDA greatly strengthen the interactions of substrates to GO layers and the binding force of GO nanosheets, the prepared PDA-GO membranes exhibit impressive long-term stability in cross-flow filtration, and maintain good nanofiltration performance at various feed pressures, tangential velocities, and even after external scratching. Moreover, because the deposited PDA layers obstruct the direct contact between GO and contaminants, the antifouling property of the PDA-GO membranes increases substantially, with recovery ratio about 98%.     

Electrochemical performance of NaCo2O4 as electrode for supercapacitors

Sub-micron-scaled sodium cobalt oxide （NaCo2O4） powders are prepared by a solid-state reaction method. Characterization using X-ray diffraction indicates that the synthesized NaCo2O4 has a hexagonal layered structure. The electrochemical performance of the NaCo2O4 electrodes is investigated using cyclic voltarnmetry and galvanostatic charge/discharge in NaOH solution. The results show that the specific capacitance of the NaCo2O4 electrode reaches 337 F/g over the potential range of 0.15-0.65 V at a mass normalized current of 50 mA/g. Moreover, NaCo2O4 exhibits very good stability and cycling performance as a supercapacitor material.     

Surface and chemical characteristics of platinum modified activated carbon electrodes and their electrochemical performance

Platinum (Pt) loaded activated carbons (ACs) were synthesized by the thermal decomposition of platinum (II) acetylacetonate (Pt(acac)₂) over chemically activated glucose-based biochar. The effect of Pt loading on surface area, pore characteristics, surface chemistry, chemical structure, and surface morphology were determined by various techniques. XPS studies proved the presence of metallic Pt⁰ on the AC surface. The graphitization degree of Pt loaded ACs were increased with the loaded Pt⁰ amount. The electrochemical performance of the Pt-loaded ACs (Pt@AC) was determined not only by the conventional three-electrode system but also by packaged supercapacitors in CR2032 casings. The capacitive performance of Pt@AC electrodes was investigated via cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge-discharge curves (GCD), and impedance spectroscopy (EIS). It was found that the Pt loading increased the specific capacitance from 51 F/g to 100 F/g. The ESR drop of the packaged cell decreased with the Pt loading due to the fast flow of charge through the conductive pathways. The results showed that the surface chemistry is more dominant than the surface area for determining the capacitive performance of Pt loaded AC-based packaged supercapacitors.     

An electrochemical ascorbic acid sensor based on palladium nanoparticles supported on graphene oxide

In this study, an electrochemical ascorbic acid (AA) sensor was constructed based on a glassy carbon electrode modified with palladium nanoparticles supported on graphene oxide (PdNPs-GO). PdNPs with a mean diameter of 2.6 nm were homogeneously deposited on GO sheets by the redox reaction between PdCl₄²⁻ and GO. Cyclic voltammetry and amperometric methods were used to evaluate the electrocatalytic activity towards the oxidation of AA in neutral media. Compared to a bare GC or a Pd electrode, the anodic peak potential of AA (0.006 V) at PdNPs-GO modified electrode was shifted negatively, and the large anodic peak potential separation (0.172 V) of AA and dopamine (DA), which could contribute to the synergistic effect of GO and PdNPs, was investigated. A further amperometric experiment proved that the proposed sensor was capable of sensitive and selective sensing of AA even in the presence of DA and uric acid. The modified electrode exhibited a rapid response to AA within 5 s and the amperometric signal showed a good linear correlation to AA concentration in a broad range from 20 μM to 2.28 mM with a correlation coefficient of R = 0.9991. Moreover, the proposed sensor was applied to the determination of AA in vitamin C tablet samples. The satisfactory results obtained indicated that the proposed sensor was promising for the development of novel electrochemical sensing for AA determination.     

Progress in preparation,characterization, surface functional modification of graphene oxide: A review

Graphene oxide (GO) has become the focus of scientific research due to unique mechanical, optical, electrical and chemical properties. We review the synthesis approaches and formation mechanism of GO, and propose that the crucial factor to the preparation of GO is to find efficient and environmentally friendly oxidant. Various characterization techniques are introduced, and characteristics are summarized. The GO model theories are synopsized, and determining the structure of GO has important influence on its surface modification and its application and development in composite materials. The interaction and reaction types between GO matrix and modified molecules, as well as the properties of modified products were described. In conclusion, the present challenges and future research directions are presented in terms of preparation and surface functional modification for GO.     

Analysis of graphene-like activated carbon derived from rice straw for application in supercapacitor

Activated carbons with large surface area, abundant microporosity and low cost are the most commonly used electrode materials for energy storage devices. A very slack activated carbon with ultra-thin two-dimensional (2D) layer structure was prepared by our proposed approach in this work, which includes a pre-treatment process and potassium hydroxide activation at high temperatures.     

Synergistic modification by mercapto hyperbranched polysiloxane and functionalized graphene oxide on the surface of aramid fiber

With the purpose of improving the interfacial properties of aramid fibers reinforced rubber composites and enhancing the tensile strength of aramid fibers simultaneously, mercapto hyperbranched polysiloxane (HPSi) and functionalized graphene oxide (GO) were used to modify the surface of aramid fibers. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and other characterization methods were performed to confirm the process of synergistic modification. Judging from the results of mechanical property tests, it could be acquired that the tensile strength of modified aramid fiber was increased by 16.8%, which could be ascribed to the wrapping effect of GO sheets. The interfacial properties were assessed by the pull-out tests of composites, and the results showed that the maximum pull-out force after synergistic surface modification was increased by 99.3%, which could be mainly related to additive reaction between double bonds and mercapto groups and the promotion of surface energy. More critically, during pull-out test, aramid fiber bundles might bring a part of shear stress into the grafted GO sheets, namely, GO sheets could convert fracture energy into interfacial energy, which would improve interfacial properties dramatically.     

High-performance supercapacitors of hydrous ruthenium oxide/mesoporous carbon composites

The amorphous hydrous ruthenium oxide/mesoporous carbon composites (denoted as RuO₂·xH₂O/MC), obtained by loading small amount of amorphous hydrous ruthenium oxide nanoparticles ranged from 0.9 to 5.4% by weight of Ru (denoted as RuO₂·xH₂O) on mesoporous carbon (MC), were investigated for the first time and were used for supercapacitors. Electrochemical measurements showed that RuO₂·xH₂O/MC composites not only have an enhanced specific capacitance but also retain the superior rate capability of MC. The RuO₂·xH₂O/MC composite with Ru loading of 3.6 wt% exhibited an increase of the specific capacitance of approximately 57% (from 115 to 181 F/g) at the scan rate of 25 mV s⁻¹ in 0.1 M H₂SO₄ aqueous electrolyte. The specific capacitance based on the mass of RuO₂ was estimated to be 1,527 F/g, by subtracting the contribution from MC in the composite. Cycle performance tests for RuO₂·xH₂O/MC composite (3.6 wt% Ru) showed that approximately 2.8% loss of the total capacitance was observed after 1,000 cycles.     

Electrochromatographic performance of graphene and graphene oxide modified silica particles packed capillary columns

Graphene oxide functionalized silica microspheres (GO@SiO₂) were synthesized based on condensation reaction between amino from aminosilica particles and carboxyl groups from GO. Reduction of GO@SiO₂ with hydrazinium hydroxide generated graphene modified silica particles (G@SiO₂). GO@SiO₂ and G@SiO₂ packed capillary columns for capillary electrochromatography were thereafter fabricated by pressure slurry packing with single‐particle frits. GO of 0.3 mg/mL in dispersion solution for GO@SiO₂ synthesis was considered as a compromise between retaining and column efficiency whereas GO@SiO₂ of 20 mg/mL in slurries for column packing was chosen for a homogenous and tight bed. Optimum mobile phases were acquired considering both electroosmotic flow and resolution at an applied voltage of −6 kV as the following: acetonitrile/phosphate buffer (10 mM, pH 7.0), 75:25 (v/v) for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and 50:50 (v/v) for aromatic compounds. A comparison was made between electrochromatographic performances for three PAHs (naphthalene, fluorene and phenanthrene) and three aromatic compounds of various polarities (toluene, aniline and phenol) on bare aminosilica, GO@SiO₂ and G@SiO₂ packed columns, which proved the contribution of alone or combinational actions of solvophobic effect and π‐π electron stacking as well as hydrogen bonds to retaining behaviors by GO@SiO₂ and G@SiO₂. Well over‐run, over‐day and over‐column precisions (retention time: 0.3–1.4, 1.1–3.8 and 2.8–5.2%, respectively; peak area: 2.6–6.5, 4.8–8.3 and 6.5–12.6%, respectively) of GO@SiO₂ packed columns were a powerful proof for good reproducibility. Analytical characteristics of GO@SiO₂ packed capillary columns in CEC analysis of fresh water were evaluated with respect to linearity (R² = 0.9961–0.9989) over the range 0.1 to 100 mg/L and detection limits of 9.5 for naphthalene, 12.6 for fluorene and 16.2 μg/L for phenanthrene. Further application to fresh water increased the visibility of the proposed material, where good spike recoveries in the range 89–96% were offered.     

Difference in formation of carbon cluster cations by laser ablation of graphene and graphene oxide

The distributions of positive carbon cluster ions produced by laser ablation of graphene (G) and graphene oxide (GO) are found to be quite different. Under a typical experimental condition, narrow distributions of even‐numbered clusters from to were observed for G, and broad distributions including even‐numbered clusters from to and odd‐numbered clusters from to were observed for GO. The threshold of laser energy for G is lower than that of GO. Further results of collision‐activated dissociation mass spectrometry indicate that the cluster ions generated from G are structurally similar but are different with those generated from GO or nanodiamonds. It is proposed that the experimentally observed difference can be attributed to the different mechanisms behind the process. A top‐down mechanism including both direct transformation of G to fullerene and fragmentation of large‐sized fullerenes is suggested for the generation of carbon cluster cations in the process of laser ablation of G. For GO, the experimental results are close to those of nanodiamonds and other materials reported previously and can be explained by the generally accepted bottom‐up mechanism. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An in situ oxidation route to fabricate graphene nanoplate-metal oxide composites

We report our studies on an improved soft chemical route to directly fabricate graphene nanoplate-metal oxide (Ag₂O, Co₃O₄, Cu₂O and ZnO) composites from the in situ oxidation of graphene nanoplates. By virtue of H⁺ from hydrolysis of the metal nitrate aqueous solution and NO₃⁻, only a small amount of functional groups were introduced, acting as anchor sites and consequently forming the graphene nanoplate-metal oxide composites. The main advantages of this approach are that it does not require cumbersome oxidation of graphite in advance and no need to reduce the composites due to the lower oxidation degree. The microstructures of as-obtained metal oxides on graphene nanoplates can be dramatically controlled by changing the reaction parameters, opening up the possibility for processing the optical and electrochemical properties of the graphene-based nanocomposites.     

High-capacity porous carbons prepared by KOH activation of activated carbon for supercapacitors

High-performance supercapacitor electrode materials are prepared from the commercially available activated carbon （AC） through a facile and low-cost chemical activation method. The obtained results show that AC activated by KOH with an alkali/carbon ratio of 6/1 （ACK6） possesses a specific surface area of 3405 m^2/g, a large pore volume of 2.01 cm^3/g, and exhibits the highest initial specific capacitance of 335 F/g at the current density of 0.5 A/g in 6 mol/L KOH, and 85% coloumbic efficiency for 5000 cycles at 20 mV/s.