Development and characterization of iron salt-reinforced, laser-graphitized electrospun polymeric nanofibers for supercapacitor applications
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Date
2026-09-01
Authors
Τζαμουράνη, Ευγενία
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Abstract
Graphene-based nanostructured materials and their derivatives have attracted considerable interest in energy storage applications due to their high electrical conductivity, large specific surface area, and chemical stability. However, significant research efforts have focused on further increasing their capacitance in order to enable their use as high-performance electrode materials. In this context, the incorporation of transition metal oxides represents an effective strategy for enhancing electrochemical performance through the combined exploitation of electric double-layer and pseudocapacitive charge storage mechanisms.
Within the framework of the present diploma thesis, nanostructured fibrous polyacrylonitrile (PAN) membranes enriched with an iron precursor salt were fabricated using the electrospinning technique. The resulting membranes were converted into conductive electrodes through a two-step process, initially involving thermal stabilization of PAN, accompanied by the development of conjugated and aromatic structures, followed by laser-induced graphitization using CO₂ laser irradiation. The incorporation of iron and laser treatment aimed to tailor the structure, electrical conductivity, and electrochemical response of the resulting fibrous electrodes.
The materials were characterized using a combination of morphological, structural, and spectroscopic techniques, complemented by ex situ and operando synchrotron-based methods to investigate the oxidation state of iron and its evolution during electrochemical operation. In parallel, extensive electrochemical characterization was performed in a three-electrode configuration using cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge–discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The performance of an integrated interdigitated supercapacitor device was also evaluated.
Optimization of the laser treatment resulted in fibrous electrodes with low sheet resistance, reaching a minimum value of approximately 15 Ω cm⁻2. The presence of iron significantly enhanced the electrochemical performance, with the optimized composition exhibiting an areal capacitance of up to approximately 150 mF cm⁻², compared with approximately 60 mF cm⁻² for the corresponding iron-free electrode. Furthermore, the electrodes exhibited low equivalent series resistance and excellent cycling stability, retaining approximately 99% of their initial capacitance after 10,000 cycles. The fabrication of an interdigitated supercapacitor further demonstrated the potential of the developed materials for integration into functional energy-storage devices.
Overall, this work demonstrates the combination of electrospinning, iron oxide incorporation, and laser-induced graphitization as a versatile and potentially scalable approach for the development of lightweight, advanced fibrous electrodes with enhanced electrical conductivity, high capacitance, and excellent cycling stability for electrochemical energy storage applications.
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Keywords
Electrospinning, Electrochemistry, Energy storage, Supercapacitors, Laser irradiation, Graphene, Iron oxide nanoparticles