Robust, flexible, freestanding and high surface area activated carbon and multi-walled carbon nanotubes composite material with outstanding electrode properties for aqueous-based supercapacitors

Bruno Freitas; Willian G. Nunes; Davi Marcelo Soares; Fernando C. Rufino; Cássio Murilo Moreira; Leonardo Morais Da Silva; Hudson Zanin

doi:10.1039/D0MA00783H

Robust, flexible, freestanding and high surface area activated carbon and multi-walled carbon nanotubes composite material with outstanding electrode properties for aqueous-based supercapacitors†

Bruno Freitas,

^a Willian G. Nunes,

^a Davi Marcelo Soares,

^a Fernando C. Rufino,

^a Cássio Murilo Moreira,^b Leonardo Morais Da Silva*^b and Hudson Zanin

*^a

Author affiliations

* Corresponding authors

^a Advanced Energy Storage Division, Center for Innovation on New Energies, Carbon Sci-Tech Labs and Manufacturing Group, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Campinas, Av. Albert Einstein 400, Campinas, Brazil
E-mail: hzanin@unicamp.br

^b Department of Chemistry, Laboratory of Fundamental and Applied Electrochemistry, Federal University of Jequitinhonha e Mucuri's Valley, Rodovia MGT 367, km 583, 5000, Alto da Jacuba, Diamantina – MG, Brazil
E-mail: lsilvamorais@hotmail.com

Abstract

We report on multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and an activated carbon (AC) composite material as an electrode for electrical double-layer capacitors (EDLCs). Material flexibility, robustness, and electrical conductivity are features that come from the MWCNTs, while a high specific surface area is an AC's intrinsic property. We prepared different MWCNT : AC ratios in solutions, which were filtered to form a buckypaper. We investigated the specific capacitance, equivalent series resistance, working voltage window (WVW), and the specific energy and power. The best electrochemical findings were obtained for the MWCNT : AC ratio of 1 : 3 with a specific capacitance reaching the theoretical limit. A high working voltage window of 1.4 V was verified in aqueous solution. Simultaneously, the symmetric cells were able to cycle for more than one million cycles in fast charge–discharge galvanostatic tests with 93% capacitance retention. Finally, the main criticism regarding the self-supported electrode materials is the difficulty of welding. In this sense, we presented a particular welding process as proof of concept for electrode scalability. Overall, this novel electrode material exhibits a set of exciting properties, which we now tested in EDLCs.

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/D0MA00783H
Article type: Paper
Submitted: 10 Oct 2020
Accepted: 29 Mar 2021
First published: 30 Mar 2021
This article is Open Access

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Mater. Adv., 2021,2, 4264-4276

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Robust, flexible, freestanding and high surface area activated carbon and multi-walled carbon nanotubes composite material with outstanding electrode properties for aqueous-based supercapacitors

B. Freitas, W. G. Nunes, D. M. Soares, F. C. Rufino, C. M. Moreira, L. M. Da Silva and H. Zanin, Mater. Adv., 2021, 2, 4264 DOI: 10.1039/D0MA00783H

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

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Robust, flexible, freestanding and high surface area activated carbon and multi-walled carbon nanotubes composite material with outstanding electrode properties for aqueous-based supercapacitors†

Abstract

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Robust, flexible, freestanding and high surface area activated carbon and multi-walled carbon nanotubes composite material with outstanding electrode properties for aqueous-based supercapacitors

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