文摘
Solid carbon nanofibers (CNFs) made from ethanol flames were used to prepare supercapacitors. Theirmicrostructure, crystallinity, porosity, chemical properties, and electrochemical activity were compared withthe multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) synthesized by chemical vapor deposition. The produced CNFshave a unique microstructure with a solid core and porous surface. The specific surface area of CNFs wascomparable to that of MWCNTs because of their larger amount of micropores on the surface. The synthesisenvironment also resulted in abundant functional groups absorbed on the surface of the CNFs. Electrochemicalcharacterization shows that CNFs have much larger capacitance than that of MWCNTs. The capacitance ofCNFs consists of both double-layer capacitance contributed by micropores and pseudo-capacitance producedfrom redox reactions of the absorbed oxygen functional groups. In comparison to the reported MWCNTs-based supercapacitors, the CNF demonstrates more promising potential in energy storage applications becauseof its larger electrochemical capacitance.