Facile fabrication of mesoporous carbon nanofibers with unique hierarchical nanoarchitecture for electrochemical hydrogen storage

A colloidal silica incorporated porous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) was utilized as a dual-template to prepare mesoporous carbon nanofibers (MCNFs). Such a strategy is simple because it takes advantage of commercially available materials (i.e., colloidal silica and AAO) and the templates can be removed in one step. The as-prepared MCNF shows a hierarchical nanostructure consisting of open macroporous channel connected with large mesopores and micropores. As a result of the large surface area and unique hierarchical nanoarchitecture which facilitates fast mass and electron transport, the MCNF reveals a discharge capacity of 679 mA h g⁻¹ at 25 mA g⁻¹. This value is significantly greater than that (i.e., 394 mA h g⁻¹) observed for an ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) with a similar specific surface area. Furthermore, at 3000 mA g⁻¹, the MCNF demonstrates a discharge capacity of 585 mA h g⁻¹, which is about twice that (i.e., 256 mA h g⁻¹) of the OMC.