Synthesis of activated carbon nanofibers by bio-enzymatic method as electrode material for supercapacitors

Abstract

In this work, the activated carbon nanofibers were prepared by hydrolysis of nanofibers mat using bio-enzymatic method. The nanofiber mat was hydrolyzed by medium temperature α-amylase, and carbonized to obtain activated carbon nanofibers. The results indicated that CNFs had good fiber structure, small electrolyte diffusion resistance, rich pore structure, as well as large specific surface area (268.09 m2/g). Furthermore, the effects of enzymatic hydrolysis temperature, enzyme dosage and enzymatic hydrolysis time on the mass loss rate of CNFs were investigated. The CNFs achieved the best electrochemical performance when the amount of β-cyclodextrin was 20 wt%. The specific capacitance of CNFs could reach 213 F/g under current density of 0.5 A/g. Also, the capacitance retention rate of CNFs could reach 94.31 % after 5000 cycling times under current density of 2 A/g.