TiO2 NPs Assembled into a Carbon Nanofiber Composite Electrode by a One-Step Electrospinning Process for Supercapacitor Applications

Abstract

In this study, we have synthesized titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) into carbon nanofiber (NFs) composites by a simple electrospinning method followed by subsequent thermal treatment. The resulting composite was characterized by state-of-the-art techniques and exploited as the electrode material for supercapacitor applications. The electrochemical behavior of the as-synthesized TiO2 NPs assembled into carbon nanofibers (TiO2-carbon NFs) was investigated and compared with pristine TiO2 NFs. The cyclic voltammetry and charge–discharge analysis of the composite revealed an enhancement in the performance of the composite compared to the bare TiO2 NFs. The as-obtained TiO2-carbon NF composite exhibited a specific capacitance of 106.57 F/g at a current density of 1 A/g and capacitance retention of about 84% after 2000 cycles. The results obtained from this study demonstrate that the prepared nanocomposite could be used as electrode material in a supercapacitor. Furthermore, this work provides an easy scale-up strategy to prepare highly efficient TiO2-carbon composite nanofibers.