Influence of the Surface—Chemistry of Modified Mesoporous Carbon on the Electrochemical Behavior of Solid-State Supercapacitors

Abstract

This paper reports on the synthesis of the mesoporous CMK-3 carbon carried out using the SBA-15 silica as a template and its chemical modification by nitric acid treatment at room temperature. The nitric-acid-modified carbon, CMK-3AN, was used to prepare other carbon samples by thermal treatments at 700 and 900 °C, which modify the surface properties of carbons by a partial removal of oxygenated surface groups. A series of composite electrodes was prepared from modified and unmodified carbons and used as the active material for solid-state supercapacitors. The electrochemical study carried out in two electrode configurations showed that the insertion of oxygen-containing functional groups in template carbon imparted changing on the capacitance features, enhancing also the electrode/electrolyte interface. However, the one disadvantage of acid treatment was that the carbon and electrodes showed a slight higher electronic resistance. The nitric-acid-modified carbon electrodes (CMK-3AN) showed better capaciti...