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The decarbonization of energy to meet the low-carbon energy strategy set for 2050 has led to a continuous increase in the contribution of electricity generated from renewables to our growing energy demands, where their inherent intermittency of supply must be addressed by a step-change in energy storage. 10.3390/en14041139 2 Mirzaeian M., Abbas Q., Hunt M.R.C., Hall P. Pseudocapacitive Effect of Carbons Doped with Different Functional Groups as Electrode Materials for Electrochemical Capacitors. Additionally, the nonstop emerging demands of modern technologies still require the design of versatile energy-storage/power supply systems, ensuring a secure and continuous supply of energy on a large scale with wide ranges of power and energy densities commensurate with each application. [Extracted from the article]

Polymeric carbon/activated carbon aerogels were synthesized through sol-gel polycondensation reaction followed by the carbonization at 800 °C under Argon (Ar) atmosphere and subsequent physical activation under CO 2 environment at different temperatures with different degrees of burn-off. Significant increase in BET specific surface area (SSA) from 537 to 1775 m2g−1 and pore volume from 0.24 to 0.94 cm3g−1 was observed after physical activation while the pore size remained constant (around 2 nm). Morphological characterization of the carbon and activated carbons was conducted using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to investigate the effect of thermal treatment (surface cleaning) on the chemical composition of carbon samples. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were used to analyse the capacitive and resistive behaviour of non-activated/activated/and surface cleaned activated carbons employed as electroactive material in a two electrode symmetrical electrochemical capacitor (EC) cell with 6 M KOH solution used as the electrolyte. CV measurements showed improved specific capacitance (SC) of 197 Fg−1 for activated carbon as compared to the SC of 136 Fg−1 when non-activated carbon was used as electroactive material at a scan rate of 5 mVs−1. Reduction in SC from 197 Fg−1 to 163 Fg−1 was witnessed after surface cleaning at elevated temperatures due to the reduction of surface oxygen function groups. The result of EIS measurements showed low internal resistance for all carbon samples indicating that the polymeric carbons possess a highly conductive three dimensional crosslinked structure. Because of their preferred properties such as controlled porosity, exceptionally high specific surface area, high conductivity and desirable capacitive behaviour, these materials have shown potential to be adopted as electrode materials in electrochemical capacitors. • Polymeric carbon/activated carbon aerogels were synthesized through sol-gel polycondensation reaction. • Significant increase in BET SSA from 537 to 1775 m2g−1 was observed after physical activation using CO 2. • Improved SC of 197 Fg−1 was achieved after activation as compare to 136 Fg−1 for non-activated carbon aerogels. • Significant decrease in contact angle was observed when carbon substrate was substituted with activated carbon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Nitrogen doped resorcinol/formaldehyde carbon aerogels with controlled nitrogen content are synthesized by controlling the resorcinol/melamine molar ratio (R/M) during the synthesis of aerogel precursors. The carbons were used as electrode materials in an electrochemical capacitor using 6 M KOH solution as electrolyte. All samples exhibited amorphous structure with low degree of graphitization. The maximum specific capacitance of 208 Fg-1 was observed after doping of the carbon with nitrogen at R/M = 80. Drop in solution and charge transfer resistances from 0.57Ω to 0.15Ω and 0.05Ω–0.04Ω was also observed respectively, with the drop in contact angles from 123° to 103° for the carbon doped with nitrogen at R/M = 80. BET results showed that the pore volume and surface area of carbon increase after N-doping, with a BET surface area of 841 m2 g−1 at R/M = 80. This R/M ratio is an optimum ratio at which incorporation of nitrogen into the carbon matrix improves the capacitive performance of cell as a result of improved porosity/wettability/conductivity/active sites of the electrode. Doping at higher nitrogen concentrations (R/M < 80) decreased the specific capacitance of the cell significantly due to decreased conductivity of carbon and suppression of the hopping rate of dopant. Graphical abstract Image 1078 Highlights • Nitrogen doped resorcinol/formaldehyde carbon aerogels with controlled nitrogen content are synthesized. • The contact angle of carbon and 6 M KOH solution dropped significantly from 123° to 103° after nitrogen doping. • The best specific capacitance of 208 Fg-1 is obtained for the carbon doped with nitrogen at an R/M ratio of 80. • The solution resistance dropped significantly from 0.57Ω to 0.15Ω after N- doping at an R/M ratio of 80. • R/M ratio of 80 is the optimum R/M ratio at which nitrogen doping results in superior performance of the cell. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Controlled porosity carbons aerogels were synthesized by sol–gel polycondensation of resorcinol (R) and formaldehyde (F) using sodium-carbonate as the catalyst (C). The Effect of variation of R/C ratio and carbonization temperature on the porous structure of resultant gels and carbons was investigated by characterizing the porous structure of the materials using nitrogen adsorption–desorption measurements at 77 K. It was shown that carbons with surface areas ranging between 537 and 687 m 2 g −1 and average pore size in the range of 1.80–4.62 nm can be produced when controlling the resorcinol to catalyst (R/C) molar ratio between 100 and 500 and carbonization temperature in the range of 800–1000 °C. The resultant polymeric carbons were used as the electroactive material for the fabrication of electrodes for electrochemical cells. Contact angle measurements were performed to study the wettability of the electrodes using 6 M KOH as the probing liquid. The contact angles were in the range of 106°–125° indicating the carbon based electrodes are hydrophobic in nature and no significant change in contact angles was observed with the change in R/C ratio. XRD patterns of the carbon electrodes show a typical broad peak at 2θ of about 23 indicating a disordered structure corresponding to the amorphous nature of the materials as expected for polymeric based hard carbons with crosslinked structure. These results are in line with Raman spectra of carbons which indicate two peaks in 1590 cm −1 and 1340 cm −1 wavenumber. The electrochemical performance of the electrodes was investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements. The CV results showed that high specific capacitance of 136 Fg −1 can be achieved for the carbon with average pore diameter of 1.80 nm at a scan rate of 5 mV s −1 when using 6M KOH as the electrolyte. Electrochemical impedance (EIS) measurements also revealed that the capacitance of the cell deteriorates with increase in pore size of the carbon probably due to pore flooding by the electrolyte. The results of this study show the applicability of these carbons as potential electrode materials for supercapacitor applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemical energy storage and conversion systems such as electrochemical capacitors, batteries and fuel cells are considered as the most important technologies proposing environmentally friendly and sustainable solutions to address rapidly growing global energy demands and environmental concerns. Their commercial applications individually or in combination of two or more devices are based on their distinguishing properties e.g., energy/power densities, cyclability and efficiencies. In this review article, we have discussed some of the major electrochemical energy storage and conversion systems and encapsulated their technological advancement in recent years. Fundamental working principles and material compositions of various components such as electrodes and electrolytes have also been discussed. Furthermore, future challenges and perspectives for the applications of these technologies are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, RF-based un-doped and nitrogen-doped aerogels were produced by polymerisation reaction between resorcinol and formaldehyde with sodium carbonate as catalyst and melamine as the nitrogen source. Carbon/activated carbon aerogels were obtained by carbonisation of the gels under inert atmosphere (Ar) followed by activation of the carbons under CO2 at 800 °C. The BET analysis of the samples showed a more than two-fold increase in the specific Surf. area and pore volume of carbon from 537 to 1333 m2g−1 and 0.242 to 0.671 cm3g−1 respectively after nitrogen doping and activation. SEM and XRD analysis of the samples revealed highly porous amorphous nanostructures with denser inter-particle cross-linked pathways for the activated nitrogen-doped carbon. The X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) results confirmed the presence of nitrogen and oxygen heteroatoms on the Surf. and within the carbon matrix where improvement in wettability with the drop in the contact angle from 123° to 80° was witnessed after oxygen and nitrogen doping. A steady drop in the equivalent series (RS) and charge transfer (RCT) resistances was observed by electrochemical measurements after the introduction of nitrogen and oxygen heteroatoms. The highest specific capacitance of 289 Fg−1 with the lowest values of 0.11 Ω and 0.02 Ω for RS and RCT was achieved for nitrogen and oxygen dual-doped activated carbon in line with its improved Surf. chemistry and wettability, and its enhanced conductivity due to denser inter-particle cross-linked pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cobalt oxide nanopowders are synthesized by the pyrolysis of aerosol particles of water solution of cobalt acetate. Cobalt nanopowder is obtained by subsequent reduction of obtained cobalt oxide by annealing under a hydrogen atmosphere. The average crystallite size of the synthesized porous particles ranged from 7 to 30 nm, depending on the synthesis temperature. The electrochemical characteristics of electrodes based on synthesized cobalt oxide and reduced cobalt oxide are investigated in an electrochemical cell using a 3.5 M KOH solution as the electrolyte. The results of electrochemical measurements show that the electrode based on reduced cobalt oxide (Re-Co3O4) exhibits significantly higher capacity, and lower Faradaic charge–transfer and ion diffusion resistances when compared to the electrodes based on the initial cobalt oxide Co3O4. This observed effect is mainly due to a wide range of reversible redox transitions such as Co(II) ↔ Co(III) and Co(III) ↔ Co(IV) associated with different cobalt oxide/hydroxide species formed on the surface of metal particles during the cell operation; the small thickness of the oxide/hydroxide layer providing a high reaction rate, and also the presence of a metal skeleton leading to a low series resistance of the electrode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemical pseudocapacitors, along with batteries, are the essential components of today's highly efficient energy storage systems. Cobalt oxide is widely developing for hybrid supercapacitor pseudocapacitance electrode applications due to its wide range of redox reactions, high theoretical capacitance, low cost, and presence of electrical conductivity. In this work, a recovery annealing approach is proposed to modify the electrochemical properties of Co3O4 pseudocapacitive electrodes. Cyclic voltammetry measurements indicate a predominance of surface-controlled redox reactions as a result of recovery annealing. X-ray diffraction, Raman spectra, and XPES results showed that due to the small size of cobalt oxide particles, low-temperature recovery causes the transformation of the Co3O4 nanocrystalline phase into the CoO phase. For the same reason, a rapid reverse transformation of CoO into Co3O4 occurs during in situ oxidation. This recrystallization enhances the electrochemical activity of the surface of nanoparticles, where a high concentration of oxygen vacancies is observed in the resulting Co3O4 phase. Thus, a simple method of modifying nanocrystalline Co3O4 electrodes provides much-improved pseudocapacitance characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional experimental methods for testing the performance of super-capacitors include the measurement of capacitance through charge and discharge, measurement of equivalent series resistance (ESR) and measurement of self-discharge and the equivalent circuit model (ECM) by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). However, the methods are not suitable for the mass production line of supercapacitors since they require a long time for the test and several kinds of different instrument. EIS is an attractive method to evaluate the performance of supercapacitors except that it takes a long time for a single test. In this paper a fast EIS instrument suitable for quality assurance for the mass production of supercapacitors is proposed. In order to reduce the time for the test, a multi-sine sweeping method is used for the EIS test and the results are analyzed by extracting the parameters of the ECM to evaluate the performance of the supercapacitors. The proposed instrument is developed to have multi-channel to further decrease the time for the test with a supercapacitor. It is also presented as to how the extracted parameter values of the ECM can be used to evaluate the performance of the supercapacitor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]