Sulfur-doped carbon nanotubes with hierarchical micro/mesopores for high performance pseudocapacitive supercapacitors

Increasing the specific surface area and the amount of doping heteroatoms is an effective means to improve the electrochemical properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The usual activation method makes it difficult for the retention of the heteroatoms while enlarging the specific surface area, and it can be found from literatures that specific surface area and S-content of carbon-based electrode materials are mutually exclusive. Here, CNTs with high specific surface area and sulfur content are constructed by simple activation of sulfonated polymer nanotubes with KHCO3, and the excellent electrochemical performance can be explained by the following points: first, KHCO3 can be decomposed into K2CO3, CO2 and H2O during the activation process. The synergistic action of physical activation (CO2 and H2O) and chemical activation (K2CO3) equips the electrode material with high specific surface area of 1840 m(2) g(-1) and hierarchical micro/mesopores, which is beneficial to its double-layer capacitance. Second, compared with reported porous CNTs prepared by chemical activation (KOH) or physical activation (CO2 or H2O), the mild activator KHCO3 makes the sulfur content at a high level of 4.6 at%, which is very advantageous for high pseudocapacitance performance.

Automated summary

Increasing specific surface area and sulfur content in carbon nanotubes (CNTs) through activation with KHCO3 results in high electrochemical performance. The synergistic physical and chemical activation equips the electrode material with a high specific surface area of 1840 m(2) g(-1) and hierarchical micro/mesopores, contributing to double-layer capacitance. The mild activator KHCO3 ensures a high sulfur content of 4.6 at%, advantageous for high pseudocapacitance performance in CNTs.