Nomex-derived activated carbon fibers as electrode materials in carbon based supercapacitors

Electrochemical characterization has been carried out for electrodes prepared of several activated carbon fiber samples derived from poly (m-phenylene isophthalamide) (Nomex) in an aqueous solution. Depending on the burn-off due to activation the BET surface area of the carbons was in the order of 1300–2800 m2 g−1, providing an extensive network of micropores. Their capability as active material for supercapacitors was evaluated by using cyclic voltammetry and impedance spectroscopy. Values for the capacitance of 175 F g−1 in sulfuric acid were obtained. Further on, it was observed that the specific capacitance and the performance of the electrode increase significantly with increasing burn-off degree. We believe that this fact can be attributed to the increase of surface area and porosity with increasing burn-off.