Nitrogen-Doped, Vertically Aligned Structures of Graphene and Carbon Nanofibers for Energy Storage Applications

This study presents the synthesis and characterization of a hybrid material consisting of nitrogen-doped nanocarbons. A remarkable material architecture was achieved by the simultaneous growth of nitrogen-doped vertically aligned graphene (NVG) and nitrogen-doped vertically aligned carbon nanofibers (NVCNF) on nitrogen-doped three-dimensional graphene (N3DG). A two-step process was carried out to synthesize the hybrid structure via low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) and plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). Comprehensive characterization was conducted to investigate the synthesis process and properties of the resultant hybrid structures. The performed electrochemical studies using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) revealed that the obtained hybrid material was very promising for energy storage applications due to the achieved nitrogen doping and the inherently open morphology. The completed overall investigation provided some insights to better understand the growth mechanisms governing the formation of vertically aligned nanocarbon structures with increased nitrogen doping for energy storage applications.