SUPERCAPACITORS UTILIZING ELECTRODES DERIVED FROM POLYACRYLONITRILE INCORPORATING TETRAMETHYLAMMONIUM OXALATE AS A POROGEN

摘要

The demand for energy storage devices haas been increasing due to the mismatch between energy supply and energy demand. Supercapacitors are promising energy storage devices since they combine the advantages, in terms of power and energy densities, of conventional capacitors and batteries. Compared to batteries, however, supercapacitors still have inferior energy density, which mitigates their realization for commercial application. High surface area carbon nanofiber electrodes are one of the promising electrode materials for supercapacitors that store energy electrostatically in the electrode/electrolyte interface.3 For this study, we prepared porous carbon nanofiber electrodes by incorporating tetramethylammonium oxalate (TMAO) as a porogen in polyacrylonitrile (PAN) precursor fibers generated by electrospinning followed by thermal treatment. The obtained electrodes were used directly in coin cell devices using an ionic liquid electrolyte (EMITFSI) and the electrochemical performance is evaluated and discussed.