Generation of B‑Doped Graphene Nanoplatelets Using a Solution Process and Their Supercapacitor Applications

Chemically modified graphene (CMG) nanoplatelets have shown great promise in various applications due to their electrical properties and high surface area. Chemical doping is one of the most effective methods to tune the electronic properties of graphene materials. In this work, novel B-doped nanoplatelets (borane-reduced graphene oxide, B-rG-O) were produced on a large scale via the reduction of graphene oxide by a borane-tetrahydrofuran adduct under reflux, and their use for supercapacitor electrodes was studied. This is the first report on the production of B-doped graphene nanoplatelets from a solution process and on the use of B-doped graphene materials in supercapacitors. The B-rG-O had a high specific surface area of 466 m²/g and showed excellent supercapacitor performance including a high specific capacitance of 200 F/g in aqueous electrolyte as well as superior surface area-normalized capacitance to typical carbon-based supercapacitor materials and good stability after 4500 cycles. Two- and three-electrode cell measurements showed that energy storage in the B-rG-O supercapacitors was contributed by ion adsorption on the surface of the nanoplatelets in addition to electrochemical redox reactions.