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Electrochemical characterization of laser‐carbonized polyacrylonitrile nanofiber nonwovens
Author(s) -
Go Dennis,
Opitz Martin,
Lott Philipp,
Rahimi Khosrow,
Stollenwerk Jochen,
Thomas Helga,
Möller Martin,
Roling Bernhard,
Kuehne Alexander J. C.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.46398
Subject(s) - polyacrylonitrile , materials science , carbonization , nanofiber , crystallinity , composite material , electrospinning , electrochemistry , chemical engineering , specific surface area , porosity , polymer , inert gas , nanotechnology , scanning electron microscope , electrode , organic chemistry , chemistry , engineering , catalysis
Porous carbon materials represent prospective materials for absorbers, filters, and electronic applications. Carbon fibers with high surface areas can be produced from polyacrylonitrile and spun as thin fibers from solution. The resulting polymer fibers are first stabilized to obtain conjugated ribbons and then carbonized to graphitic structures in a second high‐temperature step in an inert atmosphere. In this study, we investigated a previously described fast laser‐heating process that delivered fibers with a higher crystallinity and surface area compared to the thermally carbonized fibers. In a subsequent KOH‐activation step, the crystalline domains were exfoliated, and the surface of the fibers became macroporous. This led to a reduced specific surface area but a higher capacitance compared to thermally carbonized nanofibers. We report the electrochemical properties of the electrochemical cells and discuss their potential applications. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135 , 46398.