title: Electrostatic Layer-By-Layer Self-Assembled Graphene/Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Hybrid Multilayers as Efficient 'All Carbon' Supercapacitors.
abstract: In this work, covalently bonded graphene/carbon nanotube (Gr/CNT) conjoined materials are fabricated as engineered three-dimensional hybrid multilayer supercapacitors for high-performance integrated electrochemical energy storage. Stable aqueous dispersion of polymer-modified graphene sheets are prepared in the presence of cationic poly(ethyleneimine), PEI (PEI-Gr) for sequential or electrostatic layer-by-layer (E-LBL) self-assembly with negatively charged acid-oxidized or functionalized multi-walled CNT (fMWCNT), forming (PEI-Gr/fMWCNT)n architecture as "all carbon" super-capacitor, where n = 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 12 and 15. These films possess an interconnected network of mesoporous nanocarbon structure with well-defined interfaces allowing sufficient surface adsorption and faster ion transport due to short diffusion distances. They exhibit nearly rectangular cyclic voltammograms at an exceedingly high scan rate of 1 V/s with an average specific capacitance of -450 F g(-1) and specific energy density of 75.5 Wh kg(-1) based on electrode weight, measured at a current density of 0.3 A g(-1), comparable to that of Ni metal hydride battery and charged/discharged within a few seconds or a minute. This is attributed to the maximized synergistic effect of the highest specific surface areas by preventing re-aggregation of PEI-Gr or PEI-rGO via fMWCNT as spacers. We also determined relative contributions of the interfacial capacitance (C(dl)) and charge transfer (R(ct)) properties of the hybrids and investigated interfacial properties by SECM technique.
authors.forename: Sanju
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: Eli
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Heintzman
authors.forename: Carson
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Price