Scalable Synthesis of Highly Conductive Graphene-Based Thin Film for Supercapacitor Application

Abstract

This paper reports the direct fabrication of ultrathin and conductive thin films of multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT), reduced graphene oxide(r-GO) and r-GO/MWCNT on insulating substrates by dip coating followed by chemical vapour deposition (CVD). The obtained films exhibit conductivity of 136S/cm, 132 S/cm, and 51.2 S/cm respectively. The CVD process not only reduced the GO film, but it also bridges the voids between the individual MWCNT and/or r-GO flakes. The electrochemical performance of MWCNT, r-GO, and r-GO/MWCNT thin films as active supercapacitor electrodes is also evaluated using cyclic voltammetry. The calculated specific capacitance was found to be ≈74 F/g, 65 F/g, and 48 F/g, respectively. The electrochemical performance indicates that these electrodes have large specific capacitance and can be used for several advanced energy storage applications.