Additive-Driven Self-Assembly of Well-Ordered Mesoporous
Carbon/Iron Oxide Nanoparticle Composites for Supercapacitors
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Abstract
Ordered mesoporous carbon/iron oxide
composites were prepared by
cooperative self-assembly of poly(<i>t</i>-butyl acrylate)-block-polyacrylonitrile
(PtBA-<i>b</i>-PAN), which contains both a carbon precursor
block and a porogen block, and phenol-functionalized iron oxide nanoparticles
(NPs). Because of the selective hydrogen bonding between the phenol-functionalized
iron oxide NPs and PAN, the NPs were preferentially dispersed in the
PAN domain and subsequently within the mesoporous carbon framework.
Ordered mesoporous carbon nanocomposites with Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> NPs mass loadings as high as 30 wt % were obtained upon carbonization
at the block copolymer composites at 700 °C. The morphology of
the mesoporous composites was studied using small-angle X-ray scattering
(SAXS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and N<sub>2</sub> adsorption.
The results confirmed high-fidelity preservation of morphology of
the NP-doped block copolymer composites in the mesoporous carbon composites.
The electrochemical performance of the mesoporous composite films
improved significantly upon the addition of iron oxide NPs. The specific
capacitance (<i>C</i><sub>g</sub>) of neat mesopororous
carbon films prepared from PtBA-<i>b</i>-PAN was 153 F/g
at a current density of 0.5 A/g, whereas films containing 16 and
30 wt % Fe<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> present as well-dispersed NPs
within the mesoporous carbon framework exhibited capacitances of 204
and 235 F/g, respectively. The well-defined mesoporous in the template
carbon structure together with high loadings of iron oxide nanoparticles
are promising for use in supercapacitor applications