Carbon Nanofibers Fabricated from Electrospun Nano-sized Boron oxide/Polyacrylonitrile Nanofibers as Electrode for Supercapacitors

Abstract

Porous carbon nanofiber (CNF) composites are promising electrode materials for supercapacitor (SC) applications. In this research, to investigate the effect of nano-sized boron oxide (B2O3) to CNF, PAN solutions introduced with nano-sized boron oxide (B2O3) were electrospun then thermal treatment was applied at high temperature. The best electrochemical performance was found for the sample which was doped 1 wt% nano-sized boron oxide and a gradual decrease was seen when the content was increased from 1 to 5 wt%. 1BCNF electrodes prepared from 1 wt% nano-sized boron oxide with PAN show a remarkable specific capacitance of 146 Fg-1 at 1Ag-1 compared to the pure CNF which is 46 Fg-1. Also, 1BCNF composite has an excellent cycle life which is more than 90 % capacity retention after 6500 cycles. The results showed that 1BCNF composite is a promising potential electrode for supercapacitor applications due to the optimized pore structure and enhanced electrical conductivity.