Fluoroalkylated nanoporous carbons: Testing as a supercapacitor electrode

The surface of microporous Norit® GAC 830 W carbon was fluoroalkylated by heating in 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane and 1,1,1,2,2-pentafluoroethane at 400 and 500 °C. Elemental analysis, FTIR ATR spectroscopy, and TG studies showed the presence of ∼0.1–0.7 mmol g−1 of the fluorine-containing groups. Nitrogen adsorption measurements and quenched solid density functional theory simulations proved an increase in the mesoporosity. By combining the results of solid-state 19F NMR and XPS analyses, we determined the functionalization of the carbon surface with CF, CF3, and CF2 fluorine-containing groups. Supercapacitor electrodes prepared from these materials were subjected to the charge-discharge tests and electrical impedance measurements. During galvanostatic cycling in the aqueous 30% KOH, they showed an enhanced charge capacitance compared to the parent (830 W) and the reference (Supra 30) carbons. These observations suggest that the fluoroalkylated surface and the modified microporous structure have an additive effect on capacitance parameters of carbon electrodes studied in symmetric, negative and positive modes. The fluoroalkylation caused an increase in the surface capacitance up to 38%. Herein, we demonstrate the fluoroalkylation is a simple way to increase a capacitance of carbon electrodes.