Research and development of carbon materials for electrochemical capacitors - II - The carbon electrode

The state-of-the-art research and development of various carbons for possible application as the electrode material in electrochemical capacitors (ECs) are summarized. The main factors affecting the properties of ECs are carefully reviewed, from the material characteristics such as specific surface area, pore size distribution and pore volume, surface functional groups and graphitic orientation of the carbon materials, to the electrode characteristics and electrochemical aspects such as electrode preparation process, electrode density and thickness, electrode conductivity and pseudo-capacitance, etc. In particular, an overview is given of the most recent progress in electrochemical capacitors using carbon nanotubes as the electrode material and the prospect of their use in this application is highlighted.