Supporting Information for

In Situ Activation of Nitrogen-Doped Graphene Anchored

on Graphite Foam for a High Capacity Anode

Junyi Jia, Jilei Liubd, Linfei Laibd, Xin Zhaoc, Yongda Zhenb, Jianyi Linb, Yanwu Zhue,
Hengxing Jie, Li Li Zhangb* and Rodney S. Ruofff

College of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610065,

China

Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences, A*STAR, 1 Pesek Road, Jurong

Island 627833, Singapore
c

College of Material Science& Engineering, State Key Laboratory for Modification of

Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620,
China
d

Division of Physics and Applied Physics, School of Physical and Mathematical

Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 21 Nanyang link, SPMS-PAP-03-18A
637371, Singapore

Department of Materials Sciences and Engineering, University of Science and

Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
f

Center for Multidimensional Carbon Materials (CMCM), Institute for Basic Science
(IBS) Center at the Ulsan National Institute of Science & Technology (UNIST)
Campus. Department of Chemistry and School of Materials Science, UNIST, Ulsan
689-798, Republic of Korea
*Corresponding author
Li Li Zhang, Email: zhang_lili@ices.a-star.edu.sg

Figure S1. (a) G-coated Ni. Ni foam is from INCOFOAMTM (Novamet Specialty
Products Corp., 42 mg cm-2 foam density, 450 m average pore size, and 1.9 mm
thickness) (b) aNGO/G-coated Ni after activation and before washing, (c) final
aNGO/GF.

Volume at STP (cc/g)

800

aNGO
aNGO/GF (70 wt%)
aNGO/GF (48 wt%)
aNGO/GF (33 wt%) (only adsorption was measured)
2

600

2123 m /g

400

943 m /g

200

628 m /g

446 m /g
0
0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

Relative pressure (P/P0)

0.8

1.0

Figure S2. The nitrogen sorption isotherms of the aNGO and aNGO/GF with
different mass loadings of aNGO.

Intensity (a.u.)

GF

aNGO
-1

1598 cm

aNGO/GF
-1

1580 cm

GO@PPY
800

1200

-1

1600

2000

Raman Shift (cm )

Figure S3. Raman spectra of the GF, aNGO, aNGO/GF and GO@PPY. The peak
intensity of the aNGO/GF differs from that of the pure GF, indicating coverage of the
GF surface by the active material. The G band shift from 1580 cm-1 (for GO@PPY) to
1598 cm-1 (for aNGO and aNGO/GF) indicates conversion of PPY and thus the
nitrogen doping of the graphene sheets after the activation process. Moreover, the
significant D band of the aNGO and aNGO/GF reveals more defects resulting from
the N-doping.

Figure S4. (a) SEM image of the as-prepared aNGO powder. (b) SEM image of the
as-prepared aNGO/GF with some of the macropores of the GF being filled by aNGO.
(c) SEM image of aNGO/GF after compression. SEM images of (d-e) the NGO-GF
(without KOH activation) and (f) the NGO-GF after compression. SEM images of
(g-h) the aNGO-on-GF and (i) the aNGO-on-GF after compression.

Figure S5. SEM images at different magnifications of the (a-c) aNGO/GF and (d-f)
NGO-GF after long-time cycling. The images show that both the aNGO and the NGO
are well attached to the GF substrates after the long cycling tests. The aNGO still has
sheet contact and a continuously connected structure, while the NGO has point
contact.

C
0.
1
C
C

50

500

100

1000

0.2 C

150

1500

200

0.
5

2000

Pure GF- Charge

Pure GF- Discharge

250

0.
2

-1

0.2 C

2500

0.
1
C
0.
2
C

Specific capacity base on

-1
active materials (mAh g )

3000

(b) 300

-2

aNGO/GF (1.5 mg cm )-Charge

-2
aNGO/GF (1.5 mg cm )-Discharge

3500

0.
5

4000

Specific capacity (mAh g )

(a)

10 C

30 C

5C

30 C

0
0

10

20

30

40

50

Cycle Number (n)

60

70

80

20

40
60
Cycle number

80

100

Figure S6. Specific capacity of (a) aNGO/GF based on active material mass (1.5 mg
cm-2, 24 wt%), and (b) a pure GF anode during cycling at different current densities.