In situ growth of carbon nanotubes in biomass carbon for energy storage: The denser the better?

Manish Neupane; Xiahua Zhong; Guanhui Gao; Qiangu Yan; Jinwu Wang; Zhiyong Cai; Yingchao Yang

doi:10.1063/5.0268260

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In situ growth of carbon nanotubes in biomass carbon for energy storage: The denser the better?

Formally Refereed

Authors:

Manish Neupane, Xiahua Zhong, Guanhui Gao, Qiangu Yan, Jinwu Wang, Zhiyong Cai, Yingchao Yang

Year:

2025

Type:

Scientific Journal

Station:

Forest Products Laboratory

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0268260

Source:

Applied Physics Letters

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Abstract

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and their allotropes have been regarded as promising materials for electric double-layer supercapacitors (EDLCs). It is well accepted that the higher surface area of carbon will enable a higher capacity of energy storage. An interesting question is what could happen if the half channel size is less than the Stern layer spacing. In this study, we grew CNTs into carbonized basswood for EDLCs, in which the CNT density varied in bass carbon sheets with different thicknesses, eventually giving various pore/channel sizes. Electrochemical analyses revealed that the bass carbon with a higher CNT density exhibits inferior performance compared to specimens with lower CNT densities. Further investigation through electrochemical impedance spectroscopy suggests that such anomalous behavior in energy storage is attributed to the restricted ion diffusion within the densely packed CNTs in bass carbon channels.

Keywords

Energy storage, Biomass energy sources, Porous media, Nanotubes, Ions and properties, Electrolytes, Supercapacitors, Carbonization, Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy

Citation

Neupane, Manish; Zhong, Xiahua; Gao, Guanhui; Yan, Qiangu; Wang, Jinwu; Cai, Zhiyong; Yang, Yingchao. 2025. In situ growth of carbon nanotubes in biomass carbon for energy storage: The denser the better?. Applied Physics Letters. 126: 233904. 7 p. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0268260.