Supercapacitors are electrochemical energy-storage devices that exploit the electrostatic interaction between high-surface area electrodes and electrolyte ions. High surface area and porosity of the electrode material are essential to enhance the performance of supercapacitors. In this study, a supercapacitor electrode material containing a polymer blend, consisting of  polyacrylonitrile (PAN) as the carbonizing polymer and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) as a sacrificial polymer is investigated. The polymer blend solution in DMF was electrospun to obtain a freestanding nanofiber mat. The mat was carbonized and activated by CO2 at 1000 oC to obtain porous carbon nanofibers as PAN converts to carbon and the sacrificial polymer decomposes creating pores. Electrochemical performance of the supercapacitor was investigated by cyclic voltammetry and constant current charge-discharge. Characterization and the electrochemical performance of the resultant carbon nanofibers from different blend compositions will be presented.

? Preparation of porous carbon nanofiber material from PAN/PMMA polymer blend for supercapacitor application

247th National Meeting (2014)

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