• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.264-271
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• 2021

Porous carbons have been widely used as electrode material for supercapacitors. However, commercial porous carbons, such as activated carbons, have low electrochemical performance. Nitrogen-doping is one of the most promising strategies to improve electrochemical performance of porous carbons. In this study, nitrogen self-doped porous carbon (NPC) is prepared from melamine foam by carbonization to improve the supercapacitive performance. The prepared NPC is characterized in terms of the chemical structures and elements, morphology, pore structures, and electrochemical performance. The results of the N₂ physisorption measurement, X-ray diffraction, and Raman analyses reveal that the prepared NPC has bimodal pore structures and pseudo-graphite structures with nitrogen functionality. The NPC-based electrode exhibits a gravimetric capacitance of 153 F g^-1 at 1 A g^-1, a rate capability of 73.2 % at 10 A g^-1, and an outstanding cycling ability of 97.85 % after 10,000 cycles at 10 A g^-1. Thus, the NPC prepared in this study can be applied as electrode material for high-performance supercapacitors.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.439-443
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• 2016

In this report, $MnO_2$ nanoparticle-deposited functionalized graphene sheets were prepared and their superior electrochemical performances were demonstrated by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge-discharge, and impedance analysis. Ionic liquids were employed to functionalize the surface of reduced graphene oxides (RGOs), leading to prevention of the aggregation of RGO sheets and abundant growth sites for deposition of $MnO_2$ nanoparticles. As-prepared $MnO_2/RGO$ nanocomposites were characterized using scanning electron microscope, transition electron microscope, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. Electrochemical properties of $MnO_2/RGO$ electrode were evaluated using $Na_2SO_4$ electrolyte under a three-electrode system. The $MnO_2/RGO$ electrode showed a high specific capacitance (251 F/g), a high rate capability (80.5% retention), and long-term stability (93.6% retention).

• Carbon letters
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• v.25
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• pp.14-24
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• 2018

Electrochemical properties and performance of composites performed by incorporating metal oxide or metal hydroxide on carbon materials based on graphene and carbon nanotube (CNT) were analyzed. From the surface analysis by field emission scanning electron microscopy and field emission transmission electron microscopy, it was confirmed that graphene, CNT and metal materials are well dispersed in the ternary composites. In addition, structural and elemental analyses of the composite were conducted. The electrochemical characteristics of the ternary composites were analyzed by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge-discharge tests, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in 6 M KOH, or $1M\;Na_2SO_4$ electrolyte solution. The highest specific capacitance was $1622F\;g^{-1}$ obtained for NiCo-containing graphene with NiCo ratio of 2 to 1 (GNiCo 2:1) and the GNS/single-walled carbon $nanotubes/Ni(OH)_2$ (20 wt%) composite had the maximum specific capacitance of $1149F\;g^{-1}$. The specific capacitance and rate-capability of the $CNT/MnO_2/reduced$ graphene oxide (RGO) composites were improved as compared to the $MnO_2/RGO$ composites without CNTs. The $MnO_2/RGO$ composite containing 20 wt% CNT with reference to RGO exhibited the best specific capacitance of $208.9F\;g^{-1}$ at a current density of $0.5A\;g^{-1}$ and 77.2% capacitance retention at a current density of $10A\;g^{-1}$.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.32 no.9
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• pp.369-378
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• 2022

The recycling of solid waste materials to fabricate carbon-based electrode materials is of great interest for low-cost green supercapacitors. In this study, porous carbon foam (PCF) was prepared from waste floral foam (WFF) as an electrode material for supercapacitors. WFF was directly carbonized at various temperatures of 600, 800, and 1,000 ℃ under an inert atmosphere. The WFF-derived PCF (C-WFF) was found to have a specific surface area of 458.99 m²/g with multi-modal pore structures. The supercapacitive behavior of the prepared C-WFF was evaluated using a three-electrode system in a 6 M KOH aqueous electrolyte. As a result, the prepared C-WFF as an active material showed a high specific capacitance of 206 F/g at 1 A/g, a rate capability of 36.4 % at 20 A/g, a specific power density of 2,500 W/kg at an energy density of 2.68 Wh/kg, and a cycle stability of 99.96 % at 20 A/g after 10,000 cycles. These results indicate that the C-WFF prepared from WFF could be a promising candidate as an electrode material for high-performance green supercapacitors.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.759-764
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• 2018

3D porous carbon electrodes (cNPIM), prepared by solution casting of a polymer of intrinsic microporosity (PIM-1) followed by nonsolvent-induced phase separation (NIPS) and carbonization are presented. In order to effectively control the pore size of 3D porous carbon structures, cNPIM was prepared by varying the THF ratio of mixed solvents. The SEM analysis revealed that cNPIMs have a unique 3D macroporous structure having a gradient pore structure, which is expected to grant a smooth and easy ion transfer capability as an electrode material. In addition, the cNPIMs presented a very large specific surface area ($2,101.1m^2/g$) with a narrow micropore size distribution (0.75 nm). Consequently, the cNPIM exhibits a high specific capacitance (304.8 F/g) and superior rate capability of 77% in an aqueous electrolyte. We believe that our approach can provide a variety of new 3D porous carbon materials for the application to an electrochemical energy storage.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.653-658
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• 2016

In this work, we developed a synthetic method for preparing one-dimensional $MnO_2$ nanowires through a hydrothermal method using a mixture of $KMnO_4$ and $MnSO_4$ precursors. As-prepared $MnO_2$ nanowires had a high surface area and porous structure, which are beneficial to the fast electron and ion transfer during electrochemical reaction. The microstructure and chemical structure of $MnO_2$ nanowires were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller measurements. The electrochemical properties of $MnO_2$ nanowire electrodes were also investigated using cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge with a three-electrode system. $MnO_2$ nanowire electrodes showed a high specific capacitance of 129 F/g, a high rate capability of 61% retention, and an excellent cycle life of 100% during 1000 cycles.