Influence of carbon nanofibers on electrochemical properties of carbon nanofibers/glass fibers composites

Conducting glass fiber fabrics (GFs) with double-scale roughness were fabricated by growing carbon nanofibers (CNFs) on its surfaces. The homogeneous growth of CNFs was achieved by the decomposition of C2H2 on glass fibers surfaces coated with Fe-doped mesoporous silica films at different C2H2 flow rates. The chemical composition and surface structure of the GFs before and after CNFs growth were examined by electron dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX), N-2 full isotherms, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The electrical properties of the GFs were examined using a four-probe volume resistivity tester. The CNFs with a mean diameter of 50 nm grew uniformly and densely on the glass fiber surfaces. The CNFs/GFs fabrics surface exhibited excellent electrochemical properties due to the CNFs. The specific capacitance of the GFs ranged from 0.2 to 4 F/g at 1 A/g in a 1 M H2SO4 aqueous solution. Crown Copyright (C) 2012 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.