1587
Soft-Templated Mesoporous Graphitic Carbon Nitride and Their Cobalt Composites for Energy Storage Application

Thursday, 2 June 2016: 17:00
Sapphire Ballroom E (Hilton San Diego Bayfront)
J. Palani Raja and K. Shanthi (Anna University)
Non-precious electrocatalysts with high activity and low cost are desirable candidates for many state-of-the renewable energy devices, such as energy storage and conversion. However, the design and formation of such materials remain a significant challenge. In this study, a facile soft-templated route is designed for the synthesis of mesoporous graphitic carbon nitride (meso g-C3N4) and cobalt modified g-C3N4 composites. Once the meso g-C3N4 modified with cobalt (Co) source, the morphology slowly changed to aggregated nanoballs like morphology at a particular Co composition (3 wt.%). The mesoporous architecture and morphology were confirmed by using N2-sorption and high resolution transmission electron microscopy studies, respectively. The effects of Co concentration on the nanostructures and electrochemical performances of the composites for supercapacitor application are investigated. The obtained mesoporous Co/g-C3N4 nanoballs showed excellent electrochemical performance related to high specific capacitance, good rate capability, and greater cyclic stability than other samples (mesoporous g-C3N4 nanoflakes and non-porous analogue). The exceptional electrochemical performance of mesoporous Co/g-C3N4 nanoballs for supercapacitor could be attributed to an effective integration of g-C3N4 nanoflakes and cobalt that maximizes the synergistic interaction between them. Detailed synthetic procedure and electrochemical properties of these nanostructures will be discussed in the meeting with reference to the physicochemical properties.