Synthesis of multi-branched porous carbon nanofibers and their application in electrochemical double-layer capacitors

Multi-branched carbon nanofibers with a porous structure have been synthesized on a Cu catalyst doped with Li, Na, or K. The products were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. Using this new type of nanofiber as polarized electrodes, an electrochemical double-layer capacitor with a specific capacitance of ca. 297 F/g was obtained using 6 M KOH as the electrolyte. (C) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.