A method to increase the energy density of supercapacitor cells by the addition of multiwall carbon nanotubes into activated carbon electrodes

The performance of supercapacitor cells with activated carbon (AC) electrodes was improved by adding a small amount of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The electrode structure investigated comprised AC, four different types of MWCNTs and two polymer binders, polyvinylidene fluoride or polyvinyl alcohol. All fabricated devices were of the electrochemical double layer capacitor type. The organic electrolyte used was tetraethyl ammonium tetrafluoroborate (TEABF4) in two different solvents: propylene carbonate or acetonitrile (AN). The electrodes were characterised with scanning electron microscopy and tested for their specific surface area and pore size distribution. The electrode fabrication process was fine-tuned by investigating the effect of the coating thickness on the supercapacitor cell performance. It was established that an AC/MWCNT-based supercapacitor with 30 μm thick roll-coated, composite electrodes of just 0.15%w/w MWCNT content provided superior tested power and energy densities of 38 kW/kg and 28 W h/kg, respectively, compared to 18 kW/kg and 17 W h/kg for AC only–based cells in a 1.5 TEABF4/AN electrolyte. The increased energy density was attributed to a fine lace of MWCNTs covering the AC microparticles with visible 20–30 nm lace pores and to the high specific area of micropores.