Thin film supercapacitors were fabricated using printable materials to make flexible devices on plastic. The active electrodes were made from sprayed networks of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) serving as both electrodes and charge collectors. Using a printable aqueous gel electrolyte as well as an organic liquid electrolyte, the performances of the devices show very high energy and power densities (6 W h/kg for both electrolytes and 23 and 70 kW/kg for aqueous gel electrolyte and organic electrolyte, respectively) which is comparable to performance in other SWCNT-based supercapacitor devices fabricated using different methods. The results underline the potential of printable thin film supercapacitors. The simplified architecture and the sole use of printable materials may lead to a new class of entirely printable charge storage devices allowing for full integration with the emerging field of printed electronics.

Printable Thin Film Supercapacitors Using Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

The design and fabrication of three-dimensional multifunctional architectures from the appropriate nanoscale building blocks, including the strategic use of void space and deliberate disorder as design components, permits a re-examination of devices that produce or store energy as discussed in this critical review. The appropriate electronic, ionic, and electrochemical requirements for such devices may now be assembled into nanoarchitectures on the bench-top through the synthesis of low density, ultraporous nanoarchitectures that meld high surface area for heterogeneous reactions with a continuous, porous network for rapid molecular flux. Such nanoarchitectures amplify the nature of electrified interfaces and challenge the standard ways in which electrochemically active materials are both understood and used for energy storage. An architectural viewpoint provides a powerful metaphor to guide chemists and materials scientists in the design of energy-storing nanoarchitectures that depart from the hegemony of periodicity and order with the promise—and demonstration—of even higher performance (265 references).

Multifunctional 3D nanoarchitectures for energy storage and conversion.

Abstract Electrochemical surface oxidation of carbon black Vulcan XC-72 and multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWNT) has been compared following potentiostatic treatments up to 168 h under condition simulating PEMFC cathode environment (60 °C, N2 purged 0.5 M H2SO4, and a constant potential of 0.9 V). The subsequent electrochemical characterization at different treatment time intervals suggests that MWNT is electrochemically more stable than Vulcan XC-72 with less surface oxide formation and 30% lower corrosion current under the investigated condition. As a result of high corrosion resistance, MWNT shows lower loss of Pt surface area and oxygen reduction reaction activity when used as fuel cell catalyst support.

http://ma.ecsdl.org/content/MA2005-02/33/1168.full.pdf

Durability Investigation of Carbon Nanotube as Catalyst Support for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Electrode

Multiwall carbon nanotubes purification and oxidation by nitric acid studied by the FTIR and electron spectroscopy methods

Methane decomposition to COx-free hydrogen and nano-carbon material on group 8–10 base metal catalysts: A review

A single walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) network is functionalized in different ways to achieve a multifunctional electrode. This electrode material is used as light and thin gas diffusion electrodes in fuel cells. In contrast to any previous work, no other carbon material is part of the electrode. We demonstrate that the performance of such all-SWCNT gas diffusion electrodes is comparable to that of regular electrodes which are based on amorphous carbon. This allows the entire replacement of these regular carbon electrodes by such multifunctionalized SWCNT networks. This way, extremely thin and light gas diffusion electrodes are realized, potentially fulfilling the demands of light-weight power supplies.

Multifunctional carbon nanotube networks for fuel cells

Fuel cell electrodes using carbon nanostructures

In the present work, we use Raman spectroscopy as sensitive tool for the characterization of graphene samples. We observed diverse shifts in the position of the Raman mode close to 2650 cm -1 in various as-prepared graphene flakes. In order to elucidate the reason for this variation, we checked different substrates (Si/SiO 2 and Si/Al 2 O 3 ) and the effect of the annealing of graphene in argon. We find that most of as-prepared graphene flakes were non-intentional doped by holes, i.e. by physisorbed water and/or oxygen.

M. Lebert

Papers

Multifunctional carbon nanotube networks for fuel cells

Fuel cell electrodes using carbon nanostructures

Investigation of the shift of Raman modes of graphene flakes

Fuel cells based on multifunctional carbon nanotube networks