Ultracapacitor performance of reduced graphene oxide - silica composite

摘要

Graphene's unique properties show great promise for ultracapacitor applications. However, increasing the surface area available to electrolyte to increase the specific capacitance remains a challenge. In this paper we report on a method to synthesize a reduced graphene oxide-silica nanoparticle composite followed by etching with hydrofluoric acid. The composite and the etched samples were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Nitrogen adsorption and capacitance measurements indicated an increase in the specific surface area and the specific capacitance in the post-etched samples suggesting that the silica nanoparticles act as a sacrificial jamming agent.