Investigation of the effect of cold atmospheric pressure He plasma on the electrochemical hydrogen storage performance of Co/MWCNT nanoelectrodes

The effect of cold atmospheric He plasma on multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) / cobalt nanoelectrodes has been investigated for reversible hydrogen ion storage. To perform plasma treatment, the material suspensions were subjected to plasma treatment for different durations, such as 30, 60, and 100 seconds, and then deposited on Cu foam to be used as active anode material. After characterization, the discharge capacity of the nanoelectrodes was examined, revealing that cold plasma treatment, even at the shortest duration (30 seconds), increases the hydrogen storage capacity of the nanoelectrodes due to the formation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen functional groups on the walls of the MWCNTs. This study also indicated that there is an optimal plasma treatment time of 60 seconds, resulting in the highest discharge capacity of 9700 mAh/gr at a constant current of 1 mA. Consequently, He plasma treatment of the nanoelectrodes offers promising applications in hydrogen storage and the battery industry.