Structure and electrochemical properties of highly conductive and porous carbon nanofiber derived from inclusion complex of cyclodextrin-phenylsilane

A new type of PAN/phenylsilane-based CNF (PPSCD) composite with inclusion complex (IC) is prepared by one-step electazpinning for high-performance electrode materials for supercapacitors. All three cyclodextrin phases (alpha-CD, beta-CD and gamma-CD) exhibit different capabilities for the formation of ICs that depend on the size/shape match and binding force between the host CD cavity and the guest molecule of phenylsilane (PS). The effect of the stronger binding and greater interaction of PS in the cavity of alpha-CD on the morphology and structural properties of the electrospun CNFs are investigated by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Si-29 CP-MAS NMR. The inclusion of small PS molecules is more selective in alpha-CD, possibly due to stronger binding and greater interaction of PS in the cavity as compared beta- and gamma-CD. The PPS alpha-CD electrode demonstrates superior specific capacitance (173 Fg(-1) at a current density of 1 mAcm(-2)) and high energy density (22.0-8.0 Whkg(-1) at power densities ranging from 400 to 10,000 Wk(-1)) in an aqueous solution. Therefore, the highly conductive PPS alpha-CD composite provides efficient transport of electrolyte ions and low resistance for charge diffusion in the electrolyte, thereby yielding good capacitive behavior. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.