Homogeneous titanium hydroxide yields hydroxyl decorated nanofiber separator with improved electrolyte uptake and device capacitance
Good wettability of separators in batteries and capacitors is crucial for performance. Titanium hydroxide (Ti(OH) x ) has been shown to greatly improve the wettability of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nanofibers (NFs). Here, PVDF/Ti(OH) x NFs were evaluated for their potential use as separators. Results show that PVDF NFs incorporated with Ti(OH) x have improved electrolyte uptake (EU) between 550 and 1200 EU% compared to untreated PVDF with less than 100 EU%. Significant improvements in capacitance are seen from capacitors utilizing PVDF/Ti(OH) x NF separators with the best performing PVDF/Ti(OH) x NF at 15 wt% Ti(OH)x with 446.8 mF/cm 2 compared to untreated PVDF NF separator with 262.7 mF/cm 2 .