(Invited) Electrospun Carbon Nanofibers for Applications in Fuel Cells and Li-Metal Batteries

Abstract

Carbon nanofibers (CNFs) have been widely utilized in energy conversion and storage devices owing to their excellent electrical conductivities, large surface areas, structural and chemical stabilities. In fuel cells and water electrolyzers, CNFs can be used as a durable support for precious metal nanoparticle catalysts and also as a catalyst itself by being incorporated with nitrogen and transition metals. For lithium (Li) metal anode of rechargeable batteries, CNFs can serve as a interlayer to suppress the formation of Li dendrites.In this talk, CNFs prepared by electrospinning polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and carbonization are presented for applications in fuel cells and Li-metal batteries. For fuel cell applications, transition metal precursors were added to the electrospinning solution to form the active sites for the oxygen reduction reaction [1]. To make mesoporous CNFs, silica nanoparticles polyvinyl acetate were added to the electrospinning solution [2]. To enhance the Li-ion adsorption on CNFs, metal nanoparticles were added to the spinning solution [3].[1] M. Kim, D.-H. Nam, H.-Y. Park, C. Kwon, K. Eom, S. Yoo, J. Jang, H.-J. Kim, E.A. Cho, H. Kwon, Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 3, 14284-14290 (2015)[2] M. J. Kim, J. H. Lim, J. Bak, D. H. Song, S. K. Oh, E. A. Cho "Fe and N Codoped Mesoporous Carbon Nanofiber as a Nonprecious Metal Catalyst for Oxygen Reduction Reaction and a Durable Support for Pt Nanoparticles", ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng., 7(20), 17544-17552 (2019)[3] H. Kang, MS Thesis, KAIST (2020) Figure 1