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The combination of multiple electrode materials and their reasonable structural design are conducive to the preparation of composite electrodes with excellent performance. In this study, based on carbon nanofibers grown with Ni(OH)2 and NiO (CHO) prepared by electrospinning, hydrothermal growth, and low-temperature carbonization, five transition metal sulfides (MnS, CoS, FeS, CuS, and NiS) were hydrothermally grown on their surfaces, exhibiting that CHO/NiS had the optimal electrochemical properties. Subsequently, the effect of hydrothermal growth time on CHO/NiS revealed that the electrochemical performance of CHO/NiS-3h was optimal, with a specific capacitance of up to 1717 F g−1 (1 A g−1), due to its multistage core–shell structure. Moreover, the diffusion-controlled process of CHO/NiS-3h dominated its charge energy storage mechanism. Finally, the asymmetric supercapacitor assembled with CHO/NiS-3h as the positive electrode demonstrated an energy density of 27.76 Wh kg−1 at a maximum power density of 4000 W kg−1, and it still maintained a power density of 800 W kg−1 at a maximum energy density of 37.97 Wh kg−1, exhibiting the potential application of multistage core–shell composite materials in high-performance supercapacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porous carbon materials have demonstrated exceptional performance in various energy and environment-related applications. Recently, research on supercapacitors has been steadily increasing, and porous carbon materials have emerged as the most significant electrode material for supercapacitors. Nonetheless, the high cost and potential for environmental pollution associated with the preparation process of porous carbon materials remain significant issues. This paper presents an overview of common methods for preparing porous carbon materials, including the carbon-activation method, hard-templating method, soft-templating method, sacrificial-templating method, and self-templating method. Additionally, we also review several emerging methods for the preparation of porous carbon materials, such as copolymer pyrolysis, carbohydrate self-activation, and laser scribing. We then categorise porous carbons based on their pore sizes and the presence or absence of heteroatom doping. Finally, we provide an overview of recent applications of porous carbon materials as electrodes for supercapacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PPy@B-NCS/CNF composites exhibit excellent electrochemical performance as electrode materials for asymmetric supercapacitors. [Display omitted] • Thedensity functional theory calculation shows that the doping of boron increases the conductivity and oxidation resistance of Ni-Co sulfide, reduces the adsorption energy of hydroxide ions, and thus significantly improves the electrochemical performance. • Electrospinning Carbon Nanofibers (CNF) as the framework and substrate of composites can effectively improve the specific surface area and conductivity of electrode materials, showing excellent electrochemical properties. Surface coating of polypyrrole further improves conductivity and electrochemical stability. • The PPy@B-NCS/CNF delivers high specific capacity, high rate performance and excellent cycle stability. The device has good cycle reversibility and stability after low temperature treatment back to 20 °C. Although nickel–cobalt bimetallic sulfides have been widely studied for supercapacitor electrodes, how to obtain high specific capacity and cycle stability is still an important challenge. Here, an efficient chemical redox method is used to adjust the crystal and electronic structure of cobalt–nickel sulfide (NCS) via B doping, combined with electrospinning technology and conductive polymer polypyrrole (PPy) coating to facilitate faraday redox reactions and obtain high energy density electrode materials. The resulting composite with boron-doped nickel–cobalt sulfide on electrospinned carbon nanofibers with polypyrrole-coating (PPy@B-NCS/CNF) has a high specific capacity (751.61C/g at 1 A/g) and good cycle stability (82.49 % retention after 4000 cycles at 5 A/g). With PPy@B-NCS/CNF as the positive electrode and activated carbon as the negative electrode, an asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) is prepared. It has excellent electrochemical properties with a power density of 65.58 Wh kg−1 and an energy density of 819.72 W kg−1. The low-temperature performance test shows high reversibility, which provides the possibility for the development of low-temperature electrolytes. Finally, density functional theory (DFT) explains that B-doped NCS has better electrochemical properties from the energy band and state density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PPy@B-NCS/CNF composites exhibit excellent electrochemical performance as electrode materials for asymmetric supercapacitors. [Display omitted] • Thedensity functional theory calculation shows that the doping of boron increases the conductivity and oxidation resistance of Ni-Co sulfide, reduces the adsorption energy of hydroxide ions, and thus significantly improves the electrochemical performance. • Electrospinning Carbon Nanofibers (CNF) as the framework and substrate of composites can effectively improve the specific surface area and conductivity of electrode materials, showing excellent electrochemical properties. Surface coating of polypyrrole further improves conductivity and electrochemical stability. • The PPy@B-NCS/CNF delivers high specific capacity, high rate performance and excellent cycle stability. The device has good cycle reversibility and stability after low temperature treatment back to 20 °C. Although nickel–cobalt bimetallic sulfides have been widely studied for supercapacitor electrodes, how to obtain high specific capacity and cycle stability is still an important challenge. Here, an efficient chemical redox method is used to adjust the crystal and electronic structure of cobalt–nickel sulfide (NCS) via B doping, combined with electrospinning technology and conductive polymer polypyrrole (PPy) coating to facilitate faraday redox reactions and obtain high energy density electrode materials. The resulting composite with boron-doped nickel–cobalt sulfide on electrospinned carbon nanofibers with polypyrrole-coating (PPy@B-NCS/CNF) has a high specific capacity (751.61C/g at 1 A/g) and good cycle stability (82.49 % retention after 4000 cycles at 5 A/g). With PPy@B-NCS/CNF as the positive electrode and activated carbon as the negative electrode, an asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) is prepared. It has excellent electrochemical properties with a power density of 65.58 Wh kg−1 and an energy density of 819.72 W kg−1. The low-temperature performance test shows high reversibility, which provides the possibility for the development of low-temperature electrolytes. Finally, density functional theory (DFT) explains that B-doped NCS has better electrochemical properties from the energy band and state density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nickel cobalt phosphide/carbon nanofibers (NiCoP/C) with an average diameter of approximate 200 nm are prepared by electrospinning combined with calcinations. Carbon nanofibers with an average pore size of 10.77 nm as conductive skeletons support the dispersed NiCoP nanoparticles with the size ranging from 20 to 80 nm, providing abundant reactive sites and facilitating the electrochemical reactions. The specific capacitance of NiCoP/C reaches 478 F g−1 at 2 A g−1 in a 3 M KOH electrolyte, showing superior electrochemical properties compared to its counterparts. After 5000 charge/discharge cycles at 10 A g−1, 99.99 % of initial specific capacitance is retained. In addition, an asymmetric supercapacitor assembled using NiCoP/C as positive electrode and activated carbon as negative electrode exhibits an energy density of 16.72 Wh kg−1 at a high-power density of 7250 W kg−1. Furthermore, the capacitance loss of the supercapacitor is only 0.04 % after 5000 cycles at 10 A g−1, which is mainly attributed to the enhanced stability of NiCoP nanoparticles owing to the assistance of carbon nanofibers as the skeleton. The synergistic effects of NiCoP nanoparticles and carbon nanofibers result in the boosted electrochemical performances. This study demonstrates the potential application of carbon nanofibers as conductive skeletons for nanostructured electrodes. • NiCoP/C nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning without the emission of PH 3. • Carbon nanofibers acted as skeletons and conductive channels for NiCoP. • Assembled NiCoP/C//AC supercapacitor achieved 16.72 Wh kg−1 at 7250 W kg−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring energy storage devices and hydrogen evolution reaction electrode materials with high efficiency electrocatalytic activity, high energy density and low cost has broad prospects, but there are still huge challenges. Compared with traditional energy storage devices, supercapacitors (SCs) are a new type of energy storage device with broad development prospects. However, their practical application is significantly limited by the energy density of electrode materials. The practical application of hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is limited by the high cost and scarcity of Pt-based precious metal catalysts. It is essential to develop materials with stable structure, low cost and abundant reserves. Here, in this paper, CoS 2 and CoSe 2 composites embedded in carbon nanofibers (CNFs) (expressed as CoS 2 -CoSe 2 /CNFs) were synthesized by electrospinning combined with in-situ growth Zeolite Imidazolate Framework-67 strategy, carbonization and subsequent selenium sulfide process. When employed as the positive material in supercapacitors, a specific capacitance of 292.2 F g−1 is achieved at a current density of 1 A g−1. The specific capacitance of asymmetric supercapacitors (ASCs) assembled with CoS 2 -CoSe 2 /CNFs-5 as positive materials remains stable with no significant change observed in specific capacitance even after undergoing 10,000 cycles. At the same time, when a current density of 10 mA cm−2 is applied in a 0.5 M H 2 SO 4 electrolyte solution, an overpotential reading of 189 mV is observed. The evidence mentioned above showcases the significant capacity of this substance for application in electrochemical energy storage and conversion. • The synergy of different components regulates the electronic structure. • The as-obtained materials exhibited a good energy storage and conversion performance. • The retention of the ZIF-67 skeleton structure can increases the number of active sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon nanofibers derived from lignocellulosic materials have become the most prevalent free-standing electrode material for supercapacitors due to their renewable and sustainable nature. This study used Arenga pinnata bunches (APB) as raw material for hemicellulose compounds to produce carbon electrodes through carbonization processes at 650 °C, 700 °C, 750 °C, and 800 °C, in the presence of flowing N2 gas. The variations in carbonization temperature resulted in carbon electrodes with surface morphology having a nanofiber structure with micro-meso pore distribution. According to the results, the carbonization temperature of 700 °C (APB-700) is the optimum temperature for producing electrode surface morphology with a combination of nanofiber, micro-and mesopore distributions, as well as specific surface area, specific capacitance, energy density, and power density of 1231.896 m2 g−1, 201.6 F g−1, 28.0 Wh kg−1, and 109.5 W kg−1, respectively, for the two electrode systems. This shows the combination of nanofibers and the distribution of micro-and mesopores produced with variations in carbonization temperature has the capacity to improve the performance of supercapacitor cells. Therefore, carbon nanofibers derived from Arenga pinnata bunches have the potential to be used as free-standing electrode materials for supercapacitors without employing doping, binder, electrospinning, and heteroatom template methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using renewable biomass precursors to develop high-performance carbon electrodes is a promising approach for the advancement of supercapacitors. This work proposes a feasible strategy to prepare self-supporting flexible porous carbon nanofibers by electrospinning and carbonizing the mixture of cuttlefish ink, polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). The impacts of cuttlefish ink precursor on the structure, elemental composition, and capacitance properties of carbon nanofibers have been studied. Herein, the unique structural advantage of cuttlefish ink can significantly optimize the porous structure of carbon nanofibers. Due to the hierarchical porous structure, large specific surface area, hollow channels and high nitrogen content, the carbon nanofibers offer a high specific capacitance of 364.8 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1 current density, alongside desirable rate performance and cycle life. Furthermore, the carbon nanofiber electrode performs good mechanical flexibility. The flexible solid-state supercapacitor based on this electrode exhibits 14.1 Wh kg−1 energy density at 0.4 kW kg−1 power density, and 97.8% capacitance retention after 5000 cycles. The favorable capacitive properties make this carbon nanofiber material a potential candidate for supercapacitor electrodes. [Display omitted] • Electrospun porous carbon nanofibers (CPP–CNF) were prepared from cuttlefish ink. • CPP-CNF features hierarchical pores and hollow channels. • CPP-CNF is mechanically flexible with superior capacitive performance. • The flexible supercapacitor achieves high energy density and cycling stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing demand for high-performance supercapacitors stimulates the rapid development of separators and electrodes. PAN-derived nanofibers via electrospinning with one-dimensional morphology, tunable nanostructure, mechanical flexibility, self-functionalities and those that can be added onto them have witnessed the intensive development and extensive applications of supercapacitors. However, the conventional PAN-derived carbon nanofibers are generally featured with rather inferior electrical conductivity and lower specific surface area. Beyond that, PAN-derived carbon nanofibers normally exhibit unsatisfactory electrochemical performance in supercapacitors. So far, several strategies have been proposed, by some of which, conspicuous success has been achieved in addressing the above key issues. Here, a comprehensive review on recent advances of the use of PAN-derived carbon nanofibers as the electrode materials for supercapacitors are provided with a focus on strategies to improve their electrochemical performances, and the basic scientific principles involved in these preparation processes. Next, the recent application progress of PAN-derived nanofibers as the electrode separators for supercapacitors is introduced. Finally, we put forward a series of critical challenges in the above research area and propose some correlative ideas for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polystyrene foam (PF), commonly used in packaging and insulation purposes, has emerged as a recycling predicament due to its low density and is often found littering the natural environment. Herein, we have reported the utilization of discarded PF as a sacrificial material to synthesize porous carbon nanofibers (CNFs) as a sustainable technique to produce cost-effective, high-performance supercapacitor electrodes while addressing PF disposal. It was found that the solubility difference between PF and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) in N,N-dimethylformamide can be exploited to create micro-mesoporous multi-channel CNFs via electrospinning technique for enhanced ion adsorption leading to higher specific capacitance. CNF-40 (PF:PAN = 40:60) showed the best electrochemical performance with a specific capacitance of 271.6 F g−1 at a current density of 0.5 A g−1. Further, CNF-40 exhibited 100% capacitance retention after 5000 cycles, and the high energy and power densities of 18.8 Wh kg−1 and 8000 W kg−1, respectively. Moreover, in an all-solid-state supercapacitor, it demonstrated a high areal capacitance of 0.32 F cm−2, indicating great potential for application in solid-state devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thriving energy demand of the gradually increasing population and modernised life style requires development in energy storage devices for usage in commercial electronic devices. In this particular work, we have explored electrochemical performances of bimetallic oxide Ag 2 WO 4 nanorods and tuned its performance by decorating it on the nitrogen doped carbon nanofiber (N-CNF). The Ag 2 WO 4 nanorods are synthesised by a facile route of co-precipitation method followed by ultrasonication with N-CNF. The synthesised Ag 2 WO 4 nanorods was found electrochemically active and the incorporation of N-CNF end up boosting its electrochemical performances. The obtained nanocomposites were characterised by various advanced techniques. The amount of N-CNF was determined by characterisation via the potentiostatic and galvanostatic cycle measurements and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The electrochemically active Ag 2 WO 4 with 20 wt% of N-CNF (Ag 2 WO 4 /N-CNF b) exhibited 2.2-fold higher charge storage capacity than pristine Ag 2 WO 4. The Ag 2 WO 4 /N-CNF b exhibited specific capacitance as high as 330 F g−1 at a constant applied current density of 1 A g−1 in 1 M KOH. The improved capacity may be due to conductive pathways provided by N-CNF. The Ag 2 WO 4 got well decorated over the N-CNF facilitating the active sites interaction with electrolyte. The symmetric device fabricated with Ag 2 WO 4 /N-CNF b electrodes exhibited excellent energy density of 10 W h kg−1 at 6000 W kg−1 at 5 A g−1. The Ag 2 WO 4 /N-CNF b electrode long-term stability has been minutely observed; the high Coulombic efficiency of 90% and high rate of capacity retention 98% even after 3000 cycles. Owing to these excellent electrochemical properties, the research work can potentially widen the opportunity to explore other profound bimetallic oxides and its nanocomposites with conductive carbon-based matrix for energy storage applications. [Display omitted] • Ag 2 WO 4 nanorods, easily synthesised by co-precipitation method is found to be electrochemically active in 1 M KOH. • Decorating Ag 2 WO 4 on N-doped CNF boost electrochemical charge storage owing to high active sites and improved conductivity. • The Ag 2 WO 4 @N-CNF nanocomposite electrode has been used further to develop electrochemical symmetric supercapacitors. • Such work open door for exploring other bimetal oxides and carbon composites and synergistic effect for various applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, core-shell supercapacitor electrodes with high performance were prepared using electrospinning, carbonation, nitrogen-doping and chemical polymerization. The core of the electrode was a N-doped porous carbon nanofiber skeleton, its shell was a conductive polymer loaded on it. The effects of pore-forming agent content, N-doped amount, and polymerization temperature on the morphologies, structures and electrochemical performance of products in each stage were characterized, and the optimum parameters were obtained. As a freestanding electrode, the SC of core-shell composite reached 342.13 F g−1 at 1 A g−1, and its SC attenuation was only 4.6 % after 1000 cycles, indicating its good charge storage performance and cycle stability. Then a symmetric supercapacitor fabricated with the best electrode displayed an energy density of 3.10 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 50 W kg−1. Therefore, this paper proposed an effective method for developing multifunctional electrode materials of supercapacitors. [Display omitted] • A core-shell composite for high-performance supercapacitor electrode was prepared. • The core layer of the composite was the N-doped porous carbon nanofiber skeleton. • The shell layer of the composite was the polypyrrole loaded on the skeleton. • The core-shell composite electrode showed excellent electrochemical performances. • An asymmetric supercapacitor device was fabricated using the core-shell electrode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In view of the current problem that MOFs (Metal-organic frameworks)-based carbon as electrode materials for supercapacitors have poor conductivity and single component. We design porous hybrid carbon nanofibers (C-ZIF-67 @PAN@ZIF-8) derived from 1D core-shell MOFs. They can combine the advantages of 1D carbon materials (high conductivity) with hybrid carbon materials (multiple components) showing excellent electrochemical performance. The specific capacitance can reach 320.8 F g−1 at a current density of 1 A g−1, which is higher than C-ZIF-8 (180.8 F g−1) and C-ZIF-8 @PAN (273.7 F g−1) in a three-electrode system. In addition, symmetrical supercapacitors are assembled with C-ZIF-67 @PAN@ZIF-8, which can provide very stable performance and almost no capacitance decay after 10,000 cycles at a current density of 5 A g−1. The supercapacitors also can offer a high energy density of 8.0 wh kg−1 at a power density of 250 w kg−1. [Display omitted] • A new and highly efficient design of 1D porous hybrid carbon materials are demonstrated. • The 1D porous hybrid carbon materials can combine the advantages of 1D carbon materials with 0D hybrid carbon materials. • 1D porous hybrid carbon materials show excellent electrochemical performance for supercapacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Free-standing carbon nanofibrous membranes are prepared by carbonization and H 2 O 2 activation of electrospun polyimide nanofibrous membranes. The green and facile H 2 O 2 activation method not only regulates the pore structure of carbon nanofibers but also introduces rich oxygen species, rendering a hierarchically porous and heteroatom-doped carbon electrode for supercapacitors. The optimal electrode (PI800-8) shows a high specific capacitance of 339.9 F g−1 (0.5 A g−1, 6 M KOH electrolyte) and excellent cycle durability with a capacitance retention of 98.4 % after 50,000 cycles (5 A g−1). Particularly, a non-aqueous symmetric supercapacitor assembled with 1 M Et 4 NBF 4 electrolyte shows a high operating voltage of 2.8 V, and delivers the maximum energy/power density of 37.3 Wh kg−1 and 28.0 kW kg−1, respectively. The H 2 O 2 activation method provides a green, efficient, and versatile strategy to improve the pore properties and chemical compositions of porous carbon materials towards energy applications. [Display omitted] • The N/O-codoped carbon nanofibrous membranes were prepared by commercial electrospun polyimide nanofibrous membranes. • The green H 2 O 2 activation was proposed to ameliorate the pore and chemical properties of carbon nanofibrous membranes. • Excellent comprehensive performance was presented for both aqueous/non-aqueous symmetric supercapacitor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pyrite iron sulfide (FeS 2) is a fascinating electrode material for energy reserve devices because of its high theoretical capacity, non-polluting nature and abundant resources. However, the practical application has been extremely inhibited owing to its poor rate capacity and short cyclability caused by volume change during charge/discharge processes. In this article, a novel nanocomposite that is hollow FeS 2 nanospheres encapsulated in N/S co-doped carbon nanofibers (FeS 2 CNFs) was synthesized through electrostatic spinning. The FeS 2 CNFs nanocomposite demonstrates a terrific specific capacity of 511 F g−1 at 1 A g−1 for all-solid-state supercapacitors. The FeS 2 CNFs as electrode material for sodium-ion batteries (SIB) displays a specific capacity of 827.7 mAh g−1 and possesses a capacity of 490.6 mAh g−1 at 0.05 A g−1 after 200 cycles. The results indicate that this encapsulated structure can guarantee the integrity of electrode materials. And the abundant defects in carbon nanofibers caused by N/S co-doping may increase electrochemical reaction sites to facilitate charge transfer. The N/S co-doped FeS 2 CNFs nanocomposite exhibits a great potential for applying in SIB and supercapacitors. • Hollow FeS 2 nanospheres are encapsulated in carbon nanofibers by electrostatic spinning. • In-situ S-doping can increase the electrochemical active sites. • The incorporation of carbon nanofibers can prevent the structure collapse of FeS 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ni 3 S 2 nanoparticles have been successfully grown on the carbon nanofibers (CNFs) derived from bacterial cellulose via a hydrothermal method, which the as-prepared composite exhibited high specific capacitance (883 F g −1 at 2 A g −1 ), much more than CNFs (108 F g −1 at 2 A g −1 ), and good cycle stability. The asymmetric supercapacitor was designed to contain the CNFs coated Ni 3 S 2 nanoparticles (Ni 3 S 2 /CNFs) as positive electrode and CNFs as negative electrode in 2 M KOH electrolyte. Due to the synergistic effects of the two electrodes, asymmetric cell showed superior electrochemical performances. The optimized asymmetric supercapacitor gave a operating potential of 1.7 V in 2 M KOH aqueous solution, exhibiting a high specific capacitance of 56.6 F g −1 at 1 A g −1 and considerably high energy density of 25.8 Wh kg −1 at a power density of 425 W kg −1 . Meanwhile, Ni 3 S 2 /CNFs//CNFs asymmetric supercapacitor showed excellent cycling stability with 97% specific capacitance retained after 2500 cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a new design route to fabricate nickel aluminum-layered double hydroxide (NiAl-LDH) nanosheets/hollow carbon nanofibers (CNFs) composite through an in situ growth method. The NiAl-LDH thin layers which grow on hollow carbon nanofibers have an average thickness of 13.6 nm. The galvanostatic charge–discharge test of the NiAl-LDH/CNFs composite yields an impressive specific capacitance of 1613 F g −1 at 1 A g −1 in 6 M KOH solution, the composite shows a remarkable specific capacitance of 1110 F g −1 even at a high current density of 10 A g −1 . Furthermore, the composite remains a specific capacitance of 1406 F g −1 after 1000 cycles at 2 A g −1 , indicating the composite has excellent high-current capacitive behavior and good cycle stability in compared to pristine NiAl-LDH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High intrinsic ionic conductivity and a theoretical capacity of MoS 2 is well appreciated and gathered great attention for an electrode asset for energy storage applications. The MoS 2 layers inter connected with one-dimensional carbon nanofibers (CNFs) are successfully prepared to give a conductive three-dimensional network for the robust charge transfer kinetics. The MoS 2 nanosheets adhered together to form micro flowers accomplished by a simple hydrothermal process. Further, the nanosheets are allowed to grow over the electrospun CNFs directly. The structural, functional, and morphological characterizations unanimously revealed the nanocomposite formation. Also, the surface area has been determined by BET analysis and subjected to electrochemical studies as an electrode for supercapacitors. The nanocomposite deposited on the graphite sheet (1 × 1 cm2) displays the high capacitance counterparts of 903.9 Fg-1 achieved by a lower current density of 1 Ag-1 and maintained 94% efficiency even 5000 cycles after a charge-discharge process. This process was examined with the potential range of 0.8 V (−0.4 to +0.4 V) in 1 M KCl electrolyte. These results confirms the prepared nanocomposite can be used as a proficient electrode for the creation of high capacitance supercapacitors with good cyclability. Image 1 • Direct growth of MoS 2 on carbon nanofibers attained by facile hydrothermal process. • FESEM and XRD results confirms the MoS 2 encapsulated CNFs with hexagonal phase. • CV were employed with different electrolytes to evaluate the influence of ion size. • The prepared MoS 2 /CNF exhibits the specific capacitance of 903.9 Fg-1 at a current density 1 Ag-1. • It maintains 94% efficiency even after 5000 cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highly porous carbon electrodes for supercapacitors with high energy storage performance were prepared by using a new precursor blend of aromatic polyimide (PI) and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF). Supercapacitor electrodes were prepared through the electrospinning and thermal treatment of the precursor blends of aromatic PI and PVDF. Microstructures of the carbonized PI/PVDF nanofibers were studied using Raman spectroscopy. Nitrogen adsorption/desorption measurements confirmed their high surface area and porosity, which is critical for supercapacitor performance. Energy storage performance was investigated and carbonized PI/PVDF showed a high specific capacitance of 283 F/g at 10 mV/s (37% higher than that of PI) and an energy density of 11.3 Wh/kg at 0.5 A/g (27% higher than that of PI) with high cycling stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon nanofibers from electrospun polymer nanofibers have received considerable attention. However, most of the carbon nanofibers with a surface area above 1000 m2/g were reported to have a supercapacitor electrode capacitance far below 350 F g−1. Herein, we report a novel carbon nanofibrous material that has a supercapacitor electrode capacitance as high as 394 F g−1 (1.0 A g−1). We used a polymer blend of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and novolac (NOC) as materials, to electrospin them into precursor nanofibers and subsequently carbonize the nanofibers into carbon nanofibers. The carbon nanofibers prepared had a specific surface area as high as 1468 m2 g−1 with a meso-micro pores (average pore size 2.2 nm) predominated porous structure. The carbon nanofiber electrodes after 10,000 cycles of charging and discharging at 1.0 A g−1 maintained the capacitance almost unchanged. At the optimal condition, the supercapacitor device made of the electrodes had an energy density as high as 13.6 Wh∙kg−1 (at 0.5 kW kg−1). The high capacitance value comes from the carbon nanofibers with a large surface area and a unique porous structure. The high inter-fiber interconnection contributes to high capacitance. This super-high surface area carbon may be useful for the development of high-performance supercapacitors and other energy devices. Image 1 • Carbon nanofibers are prepared from electrospun polyacrylonitrile/novolac. • They contain micro-mese pores with a surface area as high as 1468 m2 g−1. • Electrodes made from the carbon nanofibers show a capacitance of 394 F g−1. • High capacitance originates from the unique structure and large surface area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines how the several major industries, associated with a carbon artifact production, essentially belong to one, closely knit family. The common parents are the geological fossils called petroleum and coal. The study also reviews the major developments in carbon nanotechnology and electrocatalysis over the last 30 years or so. In this context, the development of various carbon materials with size, dopants, shape, and structure designed to achieve high catalytic electroactivity is reported, and among them recent carbon electrodes with many important features are presented together with their relevant applications in chemical technology, neurochemical monitoring, electrode kinetics, direct carbon fuel cells, lithium ion batteries, electrochemical capacitors, and supercapattery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porous carbon nanofibers (CNFs) with high energy storage performance were fabricated with a single precursor polymer, 6FDA-TFMB, without the use of any pore-generating materials. 6FDA-TFMB was synthesized, electrospun, and thermally treated to produce binder-free CNF electrodes for electrochemical double-layer capacitors (EDLCs). Highly porous CNFs with a surface area of 2213 m2 g−1 were prepared by steam-activation. CNFs derived from 6FDA-TFMB showed rectangular cyclic voltammograms with a specific capacitance of 292.3 F g−1 at 10 mV s−1. It was also seen that CNFs exhibit a maximum energy density of 13.1 Wh kg−1 at 0.5 A g−1 and power density of 1.7 kW kg−1 at 5 A g−1, which is significantly higher than those from the common precursor polymer, polyacrylonitrile (PAN). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]