Fabrication of Three-Dimensional Carbon Nanotube and Metal Oxide Hybrid Mesoporous Architectures

Three-dimensional (3D) vertically aligned carbon nanotube (CNT) patterns were utilized as templates for fabricating mesoporous hybrid architectures composed of CNTs and various crystalline metal oxide (MO; M = Co, Zn, Mn) nanoparticles by a microwave-assisted chemical approach. Post-synthesis thermal treatment of the CNT/MO patterns culminated in structural reorganization, depending on the treatment conditions. In air, CNTs were removed by oxidation. The remaining MO architectures preserved the shape and alignment of the original 3D CNT patterns, but with different porosity characteristics and improved MO crystallinity. Elastocapillary condensation and bending were demonstrated to be useful tools for further architecture alternation. The mesoporous nature of the CNT/MO hybrids and the MO materials were confirmed by N-2-BET measurements. CNT/Co3O4 aligned strips were used as an example to demonstrate the potential application of the CNT/MO architectures as electrode materials for supercapacitive storage. Galvanostatic measurements showed that the CNT/Co3O4 strips were stable up to 1000 charge discharge cycles at a current density of 377 mu A/cm(2) with a specific capacitance as high as 123.94 F/g.