Electrospun Enzymatic Hydrolysis Lignin-Based Carbon Nanofibers as Binder-Free Supercapacitor Electrodes with High Performance

Carbon nanofibers consisting of Poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN) and enzymatic hydrolysis lignin (EHL) were prepared in the present study by electrospinning followed by stabilization in air and carbonization in N2 environment. The morphology and structure of the electrospun carbon nanofibers were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), Roman, and the electrochemical performances were then evaluated by cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS)methods. When the amount of EHL was 60 wt. %, the as-prepared nanofibers have the smallest average diameter of 172 nm and the largest BET specific surface area of 675 m2/g without activating treatment. The carbon nanofiber electrode showed excellent specific capacitance of 216.8 F/g at the current density of 1 A/g, maintaining 88.8% capacitance retention after 2000 cycles. Moreover, the carbon nanofiber electrode containing 60 wt. % exhibited a smaller time constant (0.5 s) in comparison to that of carbon nanofibers in literatures. These findings suggest the potential use of EHL could be a practical as a sustainable alternative for PAN in carbon electrode manufacturing.