Effects of thermal treatment on the structural and capacitive properties of polyphenylsilane-derived porous carbon nanofibers

Organic-inorganic hybrid composite carbon nanofibers (CCNFs) are prepared by one-step electrospinning and subsequent thermal treatment using polyphenylsilane (PPS) as an inorganic precursor. We investigate the structural properties and electrochemical behavior of these CCNF materials when applied as supercapacitor electrodes as a function of the carbonization temperature ranging from 800 to 1000 °C. The introduction of PPS induces thermal stability for the organic-inorganic hybrid CCNFs via the incorporation of a porous structure with stabilized functional structures such as silicon oxynitride (SiOxNy) and silicon oxycarbide (SiOxCy). This phenomenon is attributed to the synergistic effect of both the double-layer capacitance and the pseudo-capacitive effect induced by the porous carbon layer and the some surface functionalities), thereby providing high charge capacity, power and energy density.