Growth and Annealing Properties of Carbon Nanofibers on Carbon Black by Using Chemical Vapour Deposition
Carbon nanofibers (CNFs) were grown as tip growths on carbon black (CB; XC-72R) (CNF-CB) by using chemical vapour deposition (CVD) with Ni catalysts. The as-grown CNF-CB composites were annealed at different temperatures. The crystallinity and thermal properties of the CNF-CB composite increased with an increase in the annealing temperature. The micropore and mesopore areas of the CNF-CB composites decreased and increased, respectively, as compared to those of CB only. The CNF-CB composite annealed at 1600 °C had a higher current density than only CB did, as determined by using cyclic voltammetry (CV). The CNF-CB composites should be extremely useful in various energy applications, such as fuel cells, capacitors, and batteries.