Carbon nanofibers (CNF) are widely used as active agents for electrodes in Li-ion secondary battery cells, supercapacitors, and fuel cells. Nanoscale coatings on CNF electrodes can increase the output and lifespan of battery devices. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) can control the coating thickness at the nanoscale regardless of the shape, suitable for coating CNFs. However, because the CNF surface comprises stable C–C bonds, initiating homogeneous nuclear formation is difficult because of the lack of initial nucleation sites. This study introduces uniform nucleation site formation on CNF surfaces to promote a uniform SnO₂ layer. We pretreat the CNF surface by introducing H₂O or Al₂O₃ (trimethylaluminum + H₂O) before the SnO₂ ALD process to form active sites on the CNF surface. Transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy both identify the SnO₂ layer morphology on the CNF. The Al₂O₃-pretreated sample shows a uniform SnO₂ layer, while island-type SnOx layers grow sparsely on the H₂Opretreated or untreated CNF.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by  

• Atomic layer deposition of ZnO layers on Bi2Te3 powders: Comparison of gas fluidization and rotary reactors
  Myeong Jun Jung, Myeongjun Ji, Jeong Hwan Han, Young-In Lee, Sung-Tag Oh, Min Hwan Lee, Byung Joon Choi
  Ceramics International.2022; 48(24): 36773.     CrossRef
• Effects of SnO2 layer coated on carbon nanofiber for the methanol oxidation reaction
  Dong Ha Kim, Dong-Yo Shin, Young-Geun Lee, Geon-Hyoung An, Jeong Hwan Han, Hyo-Jin Ahn, Byung Joon Choi
  Ceramics International.2018; 44(16): 19554.     CrossRef