Activated Carbon Nanofibers as High Capacity Anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Carbon nanofibers (CNFs) were synthesized by electrospinning followed by thermal treatments. Activated CNFs (ACNFs) with a surface area of 167.9 m(2) g(-1) were obtained from KOH chemical activation. Both CNFs and ACNFs were tested as electrode materials for Li-ion batteries. The ACNFs electrode exhibited enhanced electrochemical performance compared to CNFs electrode, owing to its higher surface area and porous structure. A reversible capacity of 512 mAh g(-1) was retained at the 100th cycle for a current density of 100 mA g(-1). Moreover, even at very high current densities of the order of 1000 mA g(-1) the ACNF electrode still maintained a reversible capacity of 265 mAh g(-1). These results demonstrate the potential application of ACNFs as electrode material for Li-ion batteries. (C) 2013 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.