Influence of the textual properties of activated carbon nanofibers on the performance of electric double-layer capacitors

To investigate the relationship between textural properties and electrochemical properties, activated carbon nanofibers were manufactured using an electrospinning process followed by chemical activation using KOH or NaOH. The specific surface area of the KOH-activated carbon nanofibers was higher than that of NaOH-activated carbon nanofibers; however, the total pore volume and mesopore volume of the NaOH-activated carbon nanofibers were greater than those of the KOH-activated carbon nanofibers when the same number of moles of KOH and NaOH were used. The specific capacitances increased as the specific surface area and pore volume of the activated carbon nanofibers were increased. However, the specific capacitance obtained at a high scan rate (50 mV/s) and the retained capacitance of the activated carbon nanofibers increased with increasing total pore and mesopore volume, especially for mesopores with diameters of 2–4 nm.