A Freestanding Chitin-Derived Hierarchical Nanocomposite for Developing Electrodes in Future Supercapacitor Industry

Abstract

Crustacean cuticles are receiving extensive attention for its potential in developing en-vironmentally friendly and high energy density electrodes for supercapacitor applications. In the current work, the demineralized tergite cuticle of mantis shrimp was employed as a precursor for the fabrication porous biochar. The structural benefits of the cuticle, including the hierarchical nanofiber networks, and the interpenetrating pore systems were maximumly retained, providing a high carbon content and specific surface area scaffold. Graphene oxide sheets were deposited across the biochar through the pore canal systems to further increase the conductivity of the biochar, forming a novel freestanding carbon composite. Throughout the modification process, the material products were ex-amined by a range of methods, which showed desired structural, chemical and functional properties. Our work demonstrates that high performance carbon materials can be manufactured using a simple and green process to realize the great potential in energy storage applications.