Abstract
A modified parallel electrode method (MPEM), conducted by placing a positively charged ring between the needle and the paralleled electrode collector, was presented to fabricate aligned polyacrylonitrile/graphene (PAN/Gr) composite nanofibers (CNFs) with nanopores in an electrospinning progress. Two kinds of solvents and one kind of nanoparticle were used to generate pores on composite nanofibers. The spinning parameters, such as the concentration of solute and solvent, spinning voltage and spinning distance were discussed, and the optimal parameters were determined. Characterizations of the aligned CNFs with nanopores were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resistance meter, and other methods. The results showed that graphene (Gr) nanoparticles were successfully introduced into aligned CNFs with nanopores and almost aligned along the axis of the CNFs. The MPEM method could make hydrophobic materials more hydrophobic, and improve the alignment degree and conductive properties of electrospun-aligned CNFs with nanopores. Moreover, the carbonized CNFs with nanopores, used as an electrode material, had a smaller charge-transfer resistance, suggesting potential application in electrochemical areas and electron devices.
Highlights
Supercapacitors are promising energy storage devices with high power density and long cycle life, and they are of considerable interest for applications in hybrid electrical vehicles, pulsed laser system and so on [1,2,3]
In this study, aligned PAN/Gr composite nanofibers (CNFs) with nanopores were successfully fabricated by the modified parallel electrode method (MPEM) method, in which a conductive copper ring was added between the needle tip and two paralleled metal electrodes collector
In the MPEM process, the effects of spinning parameters such as the concentrations of PAN, Gr, and H2O, spinning voltage, ring voltage, distance of two paralleled electrodes, and spinning distance on the properties of electrospun CNFs were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and other instruments
Summary
Supercapacitors are promising energy storage devices with high power density and long cycle life, and they are of considerable interest for applications in hybrid electrical vehicles, pulsed laser system and so on [1,2,3]. Electrospinning has the advantages of a simple process, convenient operation, applicable to various materials, and its products have the structural characteristics of controllable pore diameter and specific surface area [12,13,14]. The porous effect of the electrode material can increase the specific surface area of the material, and provide a channel for the transfer and transport of ions in the supercapacitor, resulting in larger capacity of the supercapacitor [6,7,8,9,10]. The aligned structure of porous nanofibers can make the electrode material have aligned nanostructures, which would promote the ion transfer, save transfer time, improve the transport efficiency and enhance the conductivity. Some literatures reported that the aligned mesoporous carbons have superior capacitive behavior, power output and high-frequency performance in supercapacitors due to their mesopore network structure [18,19,20]
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