title: Electrospun Carbon Nanofibers with in Situ Encapsulated Co₃O₄ Nanoparticles as Electrodes for High-Performance Supercapacitors.
abstract: A facile electrospinning method with subsequent heat treatments is employed to prepare carbon nanofibers (CNFs) containing uniformly dispersed Co3O4 nanoparticles as electrodes for supercapacitors. The Co3O4/CNF electrodes with ∼68 wt % active particles deliver a remarkable capacitance of 586 F g(-1) at a current density of 1 A g(-1). When the current density is increased to 50 A g(-1), ∼66% of the original capacitance is retained. The electrodes also present excellent cyclic stability of 74% capacity retention after 2000 cycles at 2 A g(-1). These superior electrochemical properties are attributed to the uniform dispersion of active particles in the CNF matrix, which functions as a conductive support. The onionlike graphitic layers formed around the Co3O4 nanoparticles not only improve the electrical conductivity of the electrode but also prevent the separation of the nanoparticles from the carbon matrix.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abouali
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Mohammad Akbari
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Garakani
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Biao
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Zheng-Long
authors.initials: ZL
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Elham Kamali
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Heidari
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Jian-qiu
authors.initials: JQ
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Jiaqiang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Jang-Kyo
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Kim
keywords: carbon nanofiber; cobalt oxide; electrospinning; graphitization; pseudocapacitance; supercapacitor