Document Type
Grant
Publication Date
9-1-2018
Department
Chemistry
Abstract
As the postindustrial revolution world continues to phase out the use of carbon-based energy sources, it is imperative that work continues to develop improved green energy technologies. To mitigate the energy storage demands of the 21st century, supercapacitors are one of the promising candidates due to their robust nature with a high energy density. Hence, this study extensively investigates the super-capitative behavior of cobalt oxide on two different scaffolds, graphite oxide (GO) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Four nanostructures were prepared with varying amounts of cobalt utilizing a modified, simple, and fast microwave irradiation (MWI) process. During the MWI method, the cobalt oxide was dispersed into the highly conductive substrate. The morphology of the synthesized materials was characterized utilizing scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The resulting images of the material display porous sponge-like surface with an agglomerated texture. The FTIR spectra of the material should the effects of Co on the nanocarbon back bone. The electrochemical performance of the synthesized materials was then studied using the cyclic voltammetry (CV) technique. A glassy carbon electrode was modified with a fixed amount of material loading and tested towards the properties of a supercapacitor in 0.1 M KNO3 electrolyte. The super-capitative behavior of all the materials was demonstrated by the symmetrical rectangular shapes of the cyclic voltammograms.
Content Notes
Research Report, Final Report Form
First Advisor
Tamanna McFarland
