Chlorine effect on formation of turbostratic carbon nanofibers by a mixture of 1,2-dichloroethane and ethanol

Turbostratic carbon nanofibers (TSCNFs) were synthesized by the pyrolysis of a 1,2-dichloroethane (DCE)/ethanol mixture in the presence of Ni catalyst at 700 °C. The TSCNFs were formed by the random stacking of short and disordered graphene sheets that became porous and string-like fibers with diameters in the range of 50-100 nm. The participation of chlorine was found to play an important role in the synthesis of the TSCNFs. Auger electron spectrometry analysis and electron microscope observations reveal that NiCl bonding on the surface of the catalysts creates a relatively poor crystalline layer, leading to a coarse surface. The coarse surface causes the disordered precipitation of carbon species (graphene) from the catalyst surface and thus the formation of TSCNFs. TSCNFs formed when the concentration of DCE in the mixture was more than 20 vol%. In addition, the electrochemical properties of TSCNFs were studied. The specific capacitance of the TSCNFs prepared by the pyrolysis of DCE was 62.7 F/g in 1 M H2SO4 at 2 mV/s.