Development of novel MnO_2anoporous carbon composite electrodes in capacitive deionization technology

摘要

Capacitive deionization (CDI) is a technology for desalination and water purification that charged ions are electrosorbed on the porous electrodes, thus its performance largely affected by choice of electrodes. In this paper, the MnO2anoporous carbon composites were prepared and used as electrodes in CDI. Salt removal efficiency for the MnO2anoporous carbon was 16.9μmol/g which was higher than 5.4μmol/g of the commercially available activated carbon (AC). The nanoporous carbons were synthesised using silica templates while their composites were prepared by a co-precipitation method and were characterised carefully. The capacitance of the MnO2/carbon composites (204.7 F/g) was higher than the AC (98.6 F/g). The capacitance increase may be attributed to the high surface area and suitable pore size distribution properties. Moreover, the MnO2 film provided a high surface adsorption capability and an effective cation intercalation.