Amorphous Thin-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Modified by Simple Oxidation for Zinc-Ion Hybrid Supercapacitors

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with superior one-dimensional dynamic properties are good cathode materials for zinc-ion hybrid supercapacitors (ZHSs). Meanwhile, surface oxidation is a productive strategy to boost electrochemical properties of CNTs. Compared with the conventional modification by the mixed strong acid (H2SO4/HNO3), herein, a strategy is proposed to modify the thin-walled carbon nanotubes (TCNTs) through the oxidation of H2O2. The abundant -OH of TCNTs-H2O2 can enhance the hydrophilicity of TCNTs and the adsorption ability of Zn2+. Moreover, the electrochemical performance of ZHSs is obviously improved due to the synergistic effect between the bilayer capacitance of TCNTs and the pseudocapacitance of oxygen functional groups. Consequently, the assembled ZHSs exhibit excellent energy densities (80 Wh kg-1 at 80 W kg-1) and satisfactory long cycle stability (capacitance retention of 100% at 5 A g-1 over 10,000 cycles). In general, TCNTs-H2O2 is a high-performance, very safe, and environmentally friendly electrode material for ZHSs.

Automated summary

In this study, a strategy using H2O2 oxidation to modify thin-walled carbon nanotubes (TCNTs) is proposed, which enhances the hydrophilicity and Zn2+ adsorption capability. The electrochemical performance of zinc-ion hybrid supercapacitors (ZHSs) is significantly improved, leading to excellent energy densities and long cycle stability.