Abstract
Enhancing both mechanical and electrochemical properties of direct-spun carbon nanotube fiber (CNTF) is essential for energy harvesting applications, but conventional strategies often improve one at the expense of the other. Herein, a sucrose-derived porous carbon network is internally formed within the inter-bundle voids of direct-spun CNTFs, simultaneously enhancing their mechanical and electrochemical properties. This sucrose-derived porous internally embedded carbon (SPINE-C) reinforced inter-bundle connectivity while preserving the alignment of CNTs, thereby enhancing the tensile strength (235–350 MPa), torsional durability (177.5–294.4 mN·m·mm−3), and toughness (5–20 J g−1) of the CNTFs without compromising their flexibility. Additionally, the microporous structure of SPINE-C expanded the electrochemically accessible surface area, improving in charge storage capacity from 7.2 to 8.0 F g−1. These enhancements in mechanical and electrochemical properties translated into superior energy harvesting performance in SPINE-C-based mechano-electrochemical energy harvester (MEEH), with the power density increasing from 16.2 to 46.0 W kg−1 at 1 Hz—a 2.8-fold enhancement. These results highlight the potential of the SPINE-C strategy as a scalable and high-performance electrode platform for fiber-based energy harvesters, wearable electronics, and smart textiles.
Hanyang University