Electrochemical introduction of active sites into super-long carbon nanotubes for enhanced capacitance

Electrochemical cyclic voltammetric(CV) scan was applied to inducing the partial oxidation and defects of carbon nanotubes(CNTs). The electrochemically induced functional groups and physical defects were demonstrated to show positive effects on the nanotube capacitance, as exemplified by super-long CNT arrays as model for the easy fabrication of CNT electrodes. Specifically, the initial hydrophobic nanotube surface becomes hydrophilic and a ten-time enhancement in capacitance is observed with respect to the pristine CNT sample. Thus, the electrochemical CV pretreatment can be used as an effective approach to activate the CNT surface for an enhanced electrochemical performance in capacitors, and many other advanced devices beyond capacitors, such as electrochemical sensors and batteries.