Effect of surface structure on the charge storage capacity of carbon black electrodes

In this work we study the effect of surface structure on the charge storage capacity of carbon black electrodes with various changes in surface chemistry, morphology, and doping species. Cyclic voltammetry and chronopotentiometry studies, performed under alkaline conditions with carbon paste electrodes, indicate the importance of surface structure and grain size on the faradic and capacitive charge contributions of these materials. Among the various carbon blacks studied, the lithiated material shows superior charge storage capacity, suggesting the importance of alkaline metals and oxygenated groups on the carbon surface. For the graphitic carbon, the appearance of a reversible redox process with cycling resembles the electrochemical behavior reported for hydrogen storage in carbon nanotubes. Electronic Publication