Physicochemical Properties of Nitrogen Doped Carbon Nano‐onions Grown by Flame Pyrolysis from Grapeseed Oil for Use in Supercapacitors
Bokome Shaku, Thapelo P. Mofokeng, Thomas H. Mongwe, Neil J. Coville, Kenneth I. Ozoemena, Manoko S. Maubane‐Nkadimeng
Abstract
Abstract A low cost synthesis of catalyst free carbon nano‐onions (CNOs) and nitrogen post doped CNOs (N−CNOs) using grapeseed oil is reported. Successful incorporation of nitrogen atoms into the lattice of CNOs was confirmed by XPS, resulting in 1.7 % nitrogen content. BET and Raman analysis showed an increase in the specific surface area and the I D /I G ratio of carbon, respectively after N incorporation. The specific capacitance of the CNOs increased upon nitrogen doping and as a result, N−CNOs exhibited superior electrochemical performance compared to pristine CNOs. Our results demonstrate that N−CNOs are a promising electrode material for energy storage in supercapacitors.