Poly(azomethine ether)‐derived carbon nanofibers for self‐standing and binder‐free supercapacitor electrode material applications

Abstract

We report the microstructure and electrochemical performance of poly(azomethine ether) (PAME)‐derived carbon nanofibers (CNFs), which were fabricated by a facile two‐step process of electrospinning and carbonization, as self‐standing and binder‐free supercapacitor electrode materials. The SEM images showed that the average diameter decreased noticeably from ~293.9 nm of as‐spun nanofibers to ~150.3 nm of CNFs after the carbonization at 1000°C. The EDS, XPS, Raman, and XRD analyses demonstrated that PAME‐derived CNFs have a nitrogen self‐doped graphitic structure. Accordingly, PAME‐derived CNFs were characterized to have relatively high electrical conductivity of ~3.1 S/cm and excellent wettability to water. The cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge/discharge tests revealed that PAME‐derived CNFs have a high specific capacitance of 298 F/g at 0.3 A/g, energy density of 3.3 to 13.9 Wh/kg, power density of 37.5 to 250.0 W/kg, and capacity retention of ~94% after 1000 cycles.