Abstract
Electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) and AC-electrogravimetry methods were employed to study ion dynamics in carbon nanotube base electrodes in NaCl aqueous electrolyte. Two types of carbon nanotubes, Double Wall Carbon Nanotube (DWCNT) and Multi Wall Carbon Nanotube (MWCNT), were chosen due to their variable morphology of pores and structure properties. The effect of pore morphology/structure on the capacitive charge storage mechanisms demonstrated that DWCNT base electrodes are the best candidates for energy storage applications in terms of current variation and specific surface area. Furthermore, the mass change obtained via EQCM showed that DWCNT films is 1.5 times greater than MWCNT films in the same potential range. In this way, the permselectivity of DWCNT films showed cation exchange preference at cathode potentials while MWCNT films showed anion exchange preference at anode potentials. The relative concentration obtained from AC-electrogravimetry confirm that DWCNT base electrodes are the best candidates for charge storage capacity electrodes, since they can accommodate higher concentration of charged species than MWCNT base electrodes.
Highlights
The development of energy storage systems to decrease the energy consumption coming from fossil fuels is a way towards a more environmentally friendly society
The Brunauer– Emmett–Teller (BET) specific surface area of the Double Wall Carbon Nanotube (DWCNT) and Multi Wall Carbon Nanotube (MWCNT) was estimated to be 552 m2·g−1 and 300 m2 g−1, respectively, and the crystallinity attributed to the hexagonal graphitic structure [42] was observed on (002) and (001) reflections
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) of “double-walled” (DWCNT), and “multi-walled” (MWCNT) films were elaborated on gold electrodes of microbalance and tested in NaCl aqueous electrolyte
Summary
The development of energy storage systems (supercapacitors/batteries) to decrease the energy consumption coming from fossil fuels is a way towards a more environmentally friendly society. The charge storage is based on a reversible adsorption of electrolyte ions towards the surface of electrodes [3–8]. The selection of the electrode materials is important due to a certain number of parameters such as: specific surface area, porosity, structure, electrical conductivity, surface wettability, and electrochemical stability to improve the performance of electrodes [2,9–12]. In this way, carbon nanotubes have been used for supercapacitors due to their novel properties such as high electrical conductivity, high charge transport capability, unique pore structure and high specific surface area where the charges are continuously distributed [13,14].
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