Effects of microwave and oxygen plasma treatments on capacitive characteristics of supercapacitor based on multiwalled carbon nanotubes

The effects of microwave and oxygen plasma treatments on the capacitive characteristics of a supercapacitor based on multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) were investigated. MWNTs were heat-treated under air ambient at 500 degrees C for 1 h, and subsequently microwave-treated at 650W for 70 s (m-MWNTs). Another batch of MWNTs was treated by oxygen plasma for 30 min (p-MWNTs). Pristine MWNTs, m-MWNTs, and p-MWNTs were separately used as electrode materials for supercapacitors. Their cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge/discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy results were analyzed. The p-MWNTs show the best performance with a specific capacitance of 238.23 F.g(-1). The capacitance improvement is attributed to the increase in the number of oxygen-containing functional groups, as evidenced by Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy and contact angle measurement. These results suggest that oxygen plasma treatment is a rapid and efficient method for oxygen functionalization. (C) 2016 The Japan Society of Applied Physics