https://doi.org/10.15255/KUI.2004.025
Published: Kem. Ind. 54 (4) (2005) 187–198
Paper reference number: KUI-25/2004
Paper type: Original scientific paper
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Electrochemistry at High Specific-Area Carbon Electrodes: Applications to Adsorptive Purification of Waters and to Charge-Storage by Supercapacitors

B. E. Conway, J. J. Niu and W. G. Pell

Abstract

Several forms of the element, carbon (C), are utilized in major ways in electrochemistry as high specific-area powders, felts, woven cloth, aerogels or “fullerene” tubes. The present paper reviews and reports recent works using high specific area (~ 2500 m2 g–1) C-cloth as an electrode material for adsorptive collection of organics from model waste-water solutions and for electric charge storage and delivery by electrochemical capacitors (so-called Supercapacitors). Both these aspects of high-area C-electrode behaviour arise from properties of the interphasial double-layer at which electrosorption and charge accommodation can take place, with the latter observably influencing the former. For simple aromatic heterocyclic compounds, such C-material exhibits high effectiveness for adsorptive collective removal and, importantly, major changes of extents of adsorption with applied potential or current, and with change of solvent type. Complementarily, the same high specific area C-cloth electrodes exhibit large capacitance density (250 ~ 500 F g –1) enabling them to be used as Supercapacitor electrodes. Examples are shown of characterization of charge storage and delivery at such electrodes, especially at high rates, providing attractive values of power-, and energy-density, the former being much higher than with batteries.

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Keywords

carbon-cloth electrode, electrochemical capacitor, supercapacitor, wastewater purification, adsorption, electrosorption