Compression of surface-wetted carbon-microsphere-based disks

Using hydrothermal process, we prepare carbon microspheres from fructose corn syrup and study the compression behavior of wetted carbon-based disks, which are made from carbon microspheres and polytetrafluoroethylene at a weight ratio of 4:1 and resembled to the carbon-based electrodes used in carbon-based supercapacitors. The migration/penetration of water into the disks is controlled by the placing time of water droplets on the top surface of the disks. The compressive behavior of the wetted carbon-based disks exhibits statistical variability, which is well described by the three-parameter Weibull probability distribution. Th calculated average elastic modulus decreases with the increase of the placing time of water droplets and with the decrease of the compressive stress. The correlation between the compressive stress and the average maximum strain follows a power-law relation with a power index in a range of 1.45 to 1.56.