Enhancement of the Electrochemical behaviour of Carbon Black via a defect induced approach

• Published in: Emergent materials (Online) 2024-08, Vol.7 (4), p.1387-1400
• Main Authors: Mathew, Elma Elizaba, B., Manoj
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Chemistry and Materials Science; Energy Materials; Materials Engineering; Materials Science; Original Article
• ISSN: 2522-5731; 2522-574X
• DOI: 10.1007/s42247-024-00686-1

In order to address the rising global concern of energy storage, carbon-based materials have established themselves due to their distinct features. Despite the demand for the fabrication of supercapacitors from natural, inexpensive carbonaceous materials is on the rise, the intrinsic disorders present in such materials hinder their performance, and hence, tuning these defects can aid in the improvement of their electrochemical performance. In this study, carbon black is introduced with defects in the form of oxygen functional groups via oxidation and thermal exfoliation and the impact on its electrochemical performance is studied. Careful tuning of the type of oxygen functional moieties at the basal plane of the carbon lattice is observed to be the contributing factor for the electrochemical behaviour. The distortion in the graphitic lattice caused by the epoxy and hydroxyl groups alters the specific surface area, porosity, and thermal stability, facilitating easier ion diffusion rates and enhanced faradaic reactions. The obtained specific capacitance of the thermally exfoliated carbon black is as high as 246.49 Fg −1 in a three-electrode system and 82.85 F/g in a two-electrode setup, owing to an energy density of 5.63 Whkg −1 and a power density of 189.75 Wkg −1 . It has also exhibited excellent cyclic stability and capacitance retention up to 4000 cycles. The equivalent series resistance is found to decrease from 5.67 to 4.96 Ω making the material conductive. As a result, the electrochemical properties of carbon black can be enhanced by tuning the oxygen functional groups, making it a promising supercapacitive material. Graphical Abstract