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Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanotube/Graphite Felts as Advanced Electrode Materials for Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries
journal contribution
posted on 2015-12-16, 21:45 authored by Shuangyin Wang, Xinsheng Zhao, Thomas Cochell, Arumugam ManthiramNitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes have been grown, for
the first
time, on graphite felt (N-CNT/GF) by a chemical vapor deposition approach
and examined as an advanced electrode for vanadium redox flow batteries
(VRFBs). The unique porous structure and nitrogen doping of N-CNT/GF
with increased surface area enhances the battery performance significantly.
The enriched porous structure of N-CNTs on graphite felt could potentially
facilitate the diffusion of electrolyte, while the N-doping could
significantly contribute to the enhanced electrode performance. Specifically,
the N-doping (i) modifies the electronic properties of CNT and thereby
alters the chemisorption characteristics of the vanadium ions, (ii)
generates defect sites that are electrochemically more active, (iii)
increases the oxygen species on CNT surface, which is a key factor
influencing the VRFB performance, and (iv) makes the N-CNT electrochemically
more accessible than the CNT.