Raja Noor Amalina Raja Seman

Structural And Electronic Properties Of Transition-Metal Oxides Attached To A Single-Walled CNT As A Lithium-Ion Battery Electrode : A First-Principles Study

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and metal oxides (MOs), such as manganese(IV) oxide (MnO2), cobalt(II, III) oxide (Co3O4), and nickel(II) oxide (NiO) hybrid structures, have received great attention because of their promising application in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). As electrode materials for LIBs, the structure of SWCNT/MOs provides high power density, good electrical conductivity, and excellent cyclic stability. In this work, first-principles calculations were used to investigate the structural and electronic properties of MOs attached to (5, 5) SWCNT and Li-ion adsorption to SWCNT/metal oxide composites as electrode materials in LIBs. Emphasis was placed on the synergistic effects of the composite on the electrochemical performance of LIBs in terms of adsorption capabilities and charge transfer of Li-ions attached to (5, 5) SWCNT and metal oxides. Also, Li adsorption energy on SWCNTs and three different metal oxides (NiO, MnO2, and Co3O4) and the accompanying changes in the electronic properties, such as band structure, density of states and charge distribution as a function of Li adsorption were calculated. On the basis of the calculation results, the top C atom was found to be the most stable position for the NiO and MnO2 attachment to SWCNT, while the Co3O4 molecule, the Co2+, was found to be the most stable attachment on SWCNT. The obtained results show that the addition of MOs to the SWCNT electrode enables an increase in specific surface area and improves the electronic conductivity and charge transfer of an LIB.

Electronic properties and gas adsorption behaviour of pristine, silicon-, and boron-doped (8, 0) single-walled carbon nanotube: A first principles study

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have received enormous attention due to their fascinating properties to be used in various applications including electronics, sensing, energy storage and conversion. The first principles calculations within density functional theory (DFT) have been carried out in order to investigate the structural, electronic and optical properties of un-doped and doped CNT nanostructures. O2, CO2, and CH3OH have been chosen as gas molecules to study the adsorption properties based on zigzag (8,0) SWCNTs. The results demonstrate that the adsorption of O2, CO2, and CH3OH gas molecules on pristine, Si-doped and B-doped SWCNTs are either physisorption or chemisorption. Moreover, the electronic properties indicating SWCNT shows significant improvement toward gas adsorption which provides the impact of selecting the best gas sensor materials towards detecting gas molecule. Therefore, these pristine, Si-, and B-doped SWCNTs can be considered to be very good potential candidates for sensing application.

Highly efficient growth of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes on Fe–Ni based metal alloy foils for supercapacitors

Supercapacitors are highly promising energy devices with superior charge storage performance and a long lifecycle. Construction of the supercapacitor cell, especially electrode fabrication, is critical to ensure good performance in applications. This work demonstrates direct growth of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on Fe–Ni based metal alloy foils, namely SUS 310S, Inconel 600 and YEF 50, and their use in symmetric vertically aligned CNT supercapacitor electrodes. Alumina and cobalt thin film catalysts were deposited onto the foils, and then CNT growth was performed using alcohol catalytic chemical vapour deposition. By this method, vertically aligned CNTs were successfully grown and used directly as a binder-free supercapacitor electrode to deliver excellent electrochemical performance. The device showed relatively good specific capacitance, a superior rate capability and excellent cycle stability, maintaining about 96% capacitance up to 1000 cycles.

Electrochemical performance of activated carbon and graphene based supercapacitor

Abstract A conventional but simple fabrication technique of activated carbon/graphene (AC/G) supercapacitor electrode will be presented in this work. The AC/G electrode was prepared using slurry technique from the mixture of AC and graphene powders, polytetrafluoroethylene as binder and N-methylpyrrolidone as solvent. The AC/G electrode was dried at 120°C in vacuum oven for 6 h followed by immersing in 1M lithium hexafluorophosphate electrolyte for another 6 h. The specific gravimetric capacitance of the electrode was calculated to be 19·45 F g−1 using cyclic voltammetry at a scan rate of 1 mV s−1. Electrochemical behaviour including charge discharge and impedance characteristics confirmed the electrode’s ability as a possible active material for use in carbon based supercapacitor.

Control of Cobalt Catalyst Thin Film Thickness by Varying Spin Speed in Spin Coating towards Carbon Nanotube Growth

Cobalt (Co) catalyst thin film is an active metal catalyst that can be very helpful to grow carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The catalyst thin films were prepared on silicon wafers by spin coating the solution of cobalt acetate tetrahydrate and ethanol. The effects of different spin speed parameter during the spin coating process were investigated. The findings showed that the optimum thickness of the Co catalyst thin films, i.e., 12.1 nm, was obtained at the highest spin speed of 8000 rpm. The uniformity of the thin films was also found to increase with increasing spin speed. The study also demonstrated that single-walled carbon nanotubes could be grown from Co catalyst particles after the catalytic chemical vapor deposition of ethanol. The particle and thickness analysis, as performed by means of FESEM while the existence of CNTs, was performed by Raman spectroscopy.

Electrochemical Performance of Multi Walled Carbon Nanotube and Graphene Composite Films Using Electrophoretic Deposition Technique

This study aims to investigate multi-walled carbon nanotube and graphene composite thin films fabricated using cathodic electrophoretic deposition in aqueous solution. The deposition mechanism and films microstructure were investigated using the cyclic voltammetry (CV) and field emission scanning electron microscope. The depositions yield varied by the deposition time and deposition voltage. The composite films were studied for its application in the electrochemical capacitor. The electrochemical performance showed the capacitive behavior of the films in 6 M potassium hydroxide electrolyte. CV scans were verified from 0 to 1 V at different scan rates. The specific capacitance of 29 Fg-1 was achieved at the scan rate of 1 mVs-1.

Graphene/transition metal dichalcogenides hybrid supercapacitor electrode: status, challenges, and perspectives

Supercapacitors, based on fast ion transportation, are among the most promising energy storage solutions that can deliver fast charging-discharging within seconds and exhibit excellent cycling stability. The development of a good electrode material is one of the key factors in enhancing supercapacitor performance. Graphene (G), an allotrope of carbon that consists of a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice, elicits research attention among scientists in the field of energy storage due to its remarkable properties, such as outstanding electrical conductivity, good chemical stability, and excellent mechanical behavior. Furthermore, numerous studies focus on 2D materials that are analogous to graphene as electrode supercapacitors, including transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs). Recently, scientists and researchers are exploring TMDs because of the distinct features that make 2D TMDs highly attractive for capacitive energy storage. This study provides an overview of the structure, properties, synthesis methods, and electrochemical performance of G/TMD supercapacitors. Furthermore, the combination of G and TMDs to develop a hybrid structure may increase their energy density by introducing an asymmetric supercapacitor system. We will also discuss the future prospect of this system in the energy field.

Cyclic Voltammetry Analysis of Carbon Based Electrochemical Capacitor in Aqueous Electrolytes

In this study, a mixture of activated carbon (AC) and graphene (G) was coated onto the stainless steel (SS) mesh to produce an electrode for the electrochemical capacitor (EC). Different materials, such as carbon nanotube (CNT) mixed with G, were also used in this experiment to compare the electrochemical properties of both electrodes. The electrochemical properties of the electrode were determined by using cyclic voltammetry (CV). The CV curves of the AC/G electrodes showed good capacitive behaviour, and the highest capacitance values obtained for AC/G and CNT/G electrodes in 1M H2SO4 at 1 mVs-1 were 13 Fg-1 and 4.34 Fg-1, respectively. Meanwhile, the highest capacitance values obtained in 6M KOH at 1 mVs-1 were 14 Fg-1 and 12.07 Fg-1 for AC/G and CNT/G electrodes, respectively.

Fabrication of Activated Carbon Filled Epoxidized Natural Rubber Composite Using Solvent Casting Method

Despite the rapid increase in the utilization of reinforced nanomaterials composites, micromaterials may also have the potential to be utilized as filler in polymer composites. In this study, the activated carbon (AC) filled epoxidized natural rubber (ENR) composite was fabricated using the solvent casting method. AC was used as the filler at different filler addition in range from 0 to 7 parts per hundred rubbers (phr). The intention was to investigate the effect of AC filled ENR on mechanical properties and interaction between AC and ENR matrix. Overall, the result shows high improvement in mechanical properties. At 7 phr, the tensile strength was 7.0 MPa compared to 2.6 MPa for 0 phr, which indicates the increase by almost 2 times. The elongation also increases for all phr, which indicates the good filler effect.

2307 Designing Supercapacitor from Nanocarbon Materials

In this project, we focus on the fabrication of energy device, namely, supercapacitor by using an equal weight ratio of nanocarbons as electrode material. Supercapacitor works as energy storage due to its high power density and excellent cycling stability. This work covers the effect of various compositions of carbon nanotube, graphene, and activated carbon in different electrolytes. Electrolytes are presented by lithium ion electrolyte and also aqueous solutions like sulfuric acid and potassium hydroxide. Electrochemical performance including capacitance from cyclic voltammetry and charge/discharge analysis will be provided to determine the suitability of the supercapacitor towards potential commercialization.