Effects of Various Binders on Supercapacitor Performances

Supercapacitor performances are influenced by binder types and contents in the electrodes. The electrochemical performances of activated carbon ( AC) with Nafion, poly( tetrafluoroethylene) ( PTFE) and poly( vinylidenedifluoride) ( PVDF) and different contents of each binder were investigated by cyclic voltammetry ( CV), galvanostatic charge discharge ( GCD) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy ( EIS). The optimal content of binder in the electrode is 10 wt% for Nafion and PTFE, but only 5 wt% for PVDF. The specific capacitances of the AC electrodes with optimal content of Nafion, PTFE and PVDF are respectively 131.3, 156.6 and 160.6 F g(-1); their corresponding specific capacitances retain 87%, 91% and 79.6% after 2000 CV cycles with a scan rate of 200 mV s(-1). Therefore, PTFE is the best suitable binder for supercapacitors and its optimal content is 10 wt%.