Swallow‐Nest‐Inspired Strategy towards Ultralight Functional Multiwall‐Carbon‐Nanotube‐Based Aerogels for Supercapacitors

Abstract

AbstractElectrode materials with superior electrochemical properties are at the core of energy‐conversion and storage devices such as supercapacitors. Here, an ultralight functionalized multiwall‐carbon‐nanotube (FMWCNT) based aerogel with swallow nest structure is fabricated by a simple and facile method, and further used as a freestanding electrode for supercapacitors. Besides, soft X‐ray absorption near‐edge structure measurements were performed to probe the valence bonds of the as‐prepared FMWCNT aerogel, revealing the existence of chemical interactions among the atoms. More importantly, a series of experiments including cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge‐discharge cycling, and rate capability tests were performed to evaluate the properties of the as‐prepared FMWCNT aerogel electrodes. Impressively, the specific capacitance of the electrodes was as high as 319 F g−1 in 0.5 M H2SO4 at a constant current density of 10 A g−1, and no decay was observed after 2000 cycles. These superior properties can be attributed to the unique interconnected nanostructure, large specific surface area, and synergistic effect of the FMWCNT aerogel.