Effects of microwave and oxygen plasma treatments on capacitive characteristics of supercapacitor based on multiwalled carbon nanotubes

Abstract

The effects of microwave and oxygen plasma treatments on the capacitive characteristics of a supercapacitor based on multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) were investigated. MWNTs were heat-treated under air ambient at 500 °C for 1 h, and subsequently microwave-treated at 650W for 70 s (m-MWNTs). Another batch of MWNTs was treated by oxygen plasma for 30 min (p-MWNTs). Pristine MWNTs, m-MWNTs, and p-MWNTs were separately used as electrode materials for supercapacitors. Their cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge/discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy results were analyzed. The p-MWNTs show the best performance with a specific capacitance of 238.23 F.g-1. The capacitance improvement is attributed to the increase in the number of oxygen-containing functional groups, as evidenced by Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy and contact angle measurement. These results suggest that oxygen plasma treatment is a rapid and efficient method for oxygen functionalization.