Preparation of honeycomb porous carbon nanofibers via electro-blowing spinning and investigation of their supercapacitor performance

One-dimensional porous carbon nanofibers have become a popular choice for supercapacitor electrode materials due to their high specific surface area, large aspect ratio, and efficient electron transport. In this study, honeycomb porous carbon nanofibers were synthesized using electrospinning technique, where polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) served as the carbon precursor and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) emulsion acted as the pore-forming agent, followed by a high-temperature carbonization process. The morphology and structure of the prepared electrode materials were characterized using SEM, TEM, Raman spectroscopy, XRD, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis. Furthermore, the influence of pore-forming agent content on the fiber morphology, pore structure, and electrochemical performance was investigated. The results reveal that when the mass ratio of PVP∶PTFE in the spinning solution is 1∶10, the resulting electrode material exhibites the maximum specific surface area of 165 m2/g. Moreover, at a current density of 0.5 A·g−1, it achieves a high specific capacitance of 277.5 F·g−1. In a two-electrode system, the power density reaches 250 W/kg, resulting in an energy density of 31.6 W·h/kg. Additionally, after 10 000 charge-discharge cycles, the capacitance retention remains as high as 98.4%, indicating excellent capacitive and cycling performance of the fabricated electrode material. Such a unique porous carbon nanofibers electrode material with its high porosity and honeycomb-like structure can offer abundant active sites for charge storage and provide convenient pathways for fast electron/ion transport, which holds significant reference and guidance for the development of high-performance supercapacitor electrode materials. © 2024 Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (BUAA). All rights reserved.