Flexible carbon nanofibers for high-performance free-standing supercapacitor electrodes derived from Powder River Basin coal. (15th October 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wang, Tongtong; He, Xin; Gong, Weibo; Sun, Kaidi; Lu, Wenyang; Yao, Yi; Chen, Zhe; Sun, Tongqing; Fan, Maohong
• Is Part Of: Fuel. Volume 278(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-10-15
• Subjects: PRB coal -- Carbon nanofibers -- Flexibility -- Supercapacitor; Fuel -- Periodicals; Coal -- Periodicals; Coal; Fuel; Periodicals; 662.6
• DOI: 10.1016/j.fuel.2020.117985
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0016-2361

Abstract

Abstract: To maximize the utilization of Wyoming sub-bituminous coal and relieve the negative environmental impacts, green synthesis of supercapacitor materials from Powder River Basin (PRB) coal residual were employed to convert coal residuals to high-value carbon materials. The free-standing and binder-free activated carbon nanofibers (ACNFs) were synthesized eco-friendly in CO2 through the carbonization and activation of polyaromatic hydrocarbon-rich extract, which was extracted from the supercritical PRB coal residual by THF Soxhlet. The flexible ACNFs featured various interconnected porous structures endowing the carbon nanofibers (CNFs) with a high specific surface area (743 m 2 g −1 ) and high total pore volume (0.613 cm 3 g −1 ). Moreover, the high-temperature activation in CO2 enhanced the electrical conductivity and reduced the number of oxygen-containing compounds on the surface, which leads to lower charge-transfer resistance. The supercapacitor electrodes prepared from ACNFs have a specific capacitance of 409 F g −1 with some excellent and stable electrochemical performances. Therefore, the green synthesis of supercapacitor electrodes with the extract from PRB coal residuals can expand our horizons for the utilization of low-rank coal.