Preparation of well-controlled porous carbon nanofiber materials by varying the compatibility of polymer blends

The pore size of carbon nanofiber materials was controlled by using the difference between the solubility parameters in binary polymer blends. The prepared carbon nanofiber webs with controlled meso‐sized pores showed significantly improved electrochemical properties, and are applicable as electrode materials in energy storage systems. The relationships between the compatibility in binary polymer blends and the pore sizes of carbon nanofibers (CNFs) prepared from the blends were investigated. Compatibility was determined by the difference between the solubility parameters of each polymer in the polymer blends. Porous CNFs were prepared by an electrospinning and carbonization process using binary polymer blends, consisting of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) as the carbonizing polymer and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA), poly(ethylene glycol), poly(methyl methacrylate) or polystyrene (PS) as the pyrolyzing polymer. The pore size of the CNFs increased with increasing difference in solubility parameter. The CNFs prepared using the PAN/PAA blend, which had the smallest solubility parameter difference, exhibited a pore size of 1.66 nm compared to 18.24 nm for the CNFs prepared using the PAN/PS blend. The prepared CNF webs with controlled meso‐sized pores showed a stable cycle performance in cyclic voltammetry measurements and improved impedance characteristics. This method focusing on the compatibility in polymer blends was simple to apply and effective for controlling the pore sizes and surface area of CNFs for application as electrode materials in energy storage systems. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry