Catalytic growth of N-doped Multi-Layer Graphene/Carbon Composites for Supercapacitor Applications*

Multi-layer graphene (MLG) composites are excellent candidates for supercapacitor applications, but current approaches to device fabrication and the cost to produce graphene poses challenges for commercialization. Here, we use iron nitrate nonahydrate as a catalyst for the growth of graphene, melamine formaldehyde resin as a solid carbon source, and Pluronic F127 surfactant as a sacrificial porogen to enhance porosity and surface area. The MLG composites are produced via thermal carbonization. The resulting composites exhibit high surface area (2200 m²/g) and significant nitrogen doping (4-5%), yielding specific capacitance values as high as 300 F/g at 0.5 A/g. The role of temperature and coordination between functional group of the carbon precursor & metal source has been investigated to understand MLG formation.