Porous Carbon Nanofibers Derived from Bacterial Cellulose for Sustainable Energy Storage

Bacterial cellulose as a natural oxygen-enriched biopolymer has been introduced to prepare network-like porous carbon nanofibres (PCNFs) at the different temperatures. The carbonization temperatures affect the heteroatoms at the surface and porous structure and graphitic degree of PCNFs. The electrochemical measurements indicate that the performances of PCNFs strongly rely on the porous structure, heteroatoms and network-like graphitized structure. The heteroatoms and porous structure of PCNFs contribute the pseudocapacitance and electric double-layer capacitance, respectively. The improved graphitic structure provides faster charge transfer and corrosive resistance, resulting in enhanced cycling stability. However, the specific capacitance of PCNFs at 900 degrees C drops off due to the decrease of heteroatoms. The porous carbon nanofibres have been derived from low-cost renewable bacterial cellulose and presented high specific capacitance and good cycling stability. PCNFs could be the excellent candidate as the promising materials for sustainable energy storage.