Effect of different phenylsilane contents on the electrochemical behavior of cyclodextrin/phenylsilane-W. dela Cruzderived carbon nanofiber composites

Abstract Highly porous carbon nanofiber composites (PPSCD) are prepared through one-step electrospinning using a mixture of polyacrylonitrile (PAN), phenylsilane (PS), and α-cyclodextrin (CD) in a carbonization process without any additional physical/chemical activation step. Their capacitive performance is well optimized by adjusting the PS concentration. The PS concentration of 3 wt% in a PAN and CD polymer solution provides a large specific surface area of 563 m2g−1, which is advantageous for double layer capacitance for charge storage and rapid ion transport in charge–discharge processes. The PPSCD electrode shows a maximum specific capacitance (189 Fg−1 at a current density of 1 mAcm−2) and high energy density (22–15 Whkg−1 at power densities ranging from 400 to 10,000 Wkg−1) in a 6 M KOH aqueous solution.