College of Engineering
Porous Nanof iber Usage in the Optimization of Carbon Supercapacitors
Ma tthew C am eron COE Chemical Engineering Dr . Vibha K alra Faculty Mentor Chemical & Biological Engineering
Poster Session B
Supercapacitors are used in everything from cameras and computers to pulsed lasers and particle accelerators. Ideal supercapacitors need a high energy density, which is attained through the use of materials that have large surface-to-volume ratios. Our research has shown that through a sacrificial polymer’s degradation, it is possible to fabricate mesoporous carbon-based nanofibers for use in a supercapacitor’s electrodes. These nanofibers are created by the electrospinning process, in which a polymer solution is pulled through a strong electric field to create fibers merely hundreds of nanometers thick. Previous research in our group has shown that electrospinning a blend of Polyacrylonitrile(PAN) and Nafion results in porous nanofibers that can have a capacitance of 210 Farads/gram. However, Nafion is expensive, so the goal is to recreate these capacitance values by substituting sacrificial polymers with similar properties such as Poly(vinylidene fluoride), Polycarbonate, and Polyvinylpyrrolidone(PVP), which are more costefficient. Parameter study is being conducted to understand the composition and structure of the resulting nanofiber morphology through the use of Scanning Electron Microscope(SEM) images, and data from tests such as the Cyclic Voltammetry Scan. Through an increase in capacitance, a resulting supercapacitor would become an extremely efficient, environmentally responsible device that could potentially revolutionize the electronic industry. 68