Carbon Black and Reduced Graphene Oxide Nanocomposite\nfor Binder-Free Supercapacitors with Reduced Graphene Oxide Paper\nas the Current Collector

Abstract

Reduced graphene\noxide (rGO) is an ideal candidate for the improvement\nof supercapacitor (SC) performances due to its industrial-ready manufacturing\nprocess and ease of processing. In this work, rGO was used as an active\nbinder for the manufacture of carbon black (CB) and rGO-based SCs.\nBeing able to form a stable suspension in water, graphene oxide (GO)\nwas initially exploited as a dispersing agent to fabricate a homogeneous\nslurry with CB having exclusively water as a low-cost and environment-friendly\nsolvent. After casting on a suitable substrate, the material was subjected\nto thermal treatment allowing the reduction of GO to rGO, which was\nsuccessively confirmed by chemical–physical analysis. An innovative\ncurrent collector, consisting of high-quality rGO paper, was also\nproposed ensuring an improved adhesion between the active material\nand the substrate and a reduction of the whole weight with respect\nto devices fabricated using common metallic current collectors. Due\nto the interesting electrochemical performances, with a high specific\npower of 32.1 kW kg^–1 and a corresponding specific\nenergy of 8.8 Wh kg^–1 at a current of 1 A g^–1, and the improved manufacturing process, the described\n“all-graphene-based” device represents a valuable candidate\nfor the future of SCs.