Fabrication and electrochemical characterization of carbon nanofibers by electrospinning with various MnO2 contents
AbstractCarbon nanofibers were fabricated by electrospinning with various concentrations of MnO2, carbonization and activation processing for supercapacitor applications. Microstructure and electrochemical properties were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the 4-point probe method, and a battery cycler system. It was observed that 8-20 wt.% MnO2/PAN nanofibers had 190- 260 nm diameters. The diameter decreased with increasing MnO2 concentration, but it increased for concentrations greater than 16 wt.%. The 16 wt.% MnO2 solution produced the nanofibers with the smallest diameter. The nanofibers showed capacitor characteristics when fabricated into electrodes, and their electrical conductivity and capacitance increased with increasing MnO2 concentration. The 20 wt.% MnO2/PAN carbon nanofibers showed the highest electrical conductivity value (2.82×10-3 S/cm) and the highest capacitance value (186.28 F/g), which indicates their potential for development of supercapacitor electrodes.