Preparation and performance of polyvinyl alcohol-based activated carbon as electrode material in both aqueous and organic electrolytes

Porous carbon materials with high surface area and different pore structure have been successfully prepared by phenolic resin combined with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and KOH as activation agents. The surface morphology, structure, and specific surface area of the carbon materials were studied by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and nitrogen sorption measurement, respectively. Furthermore, the effects of specific surface area, pore structure, and electrolyte on electrochemical properties were investigated by galvanostatic charge–discharge measurement. The results show that KOH–PVA-activated carbon materials display specific capacitance as high as 218 F?g^?1 in 30 wt.% KOH aqueous electrolyte, 147 F?g^?1 in 1 M LiPF₆/(ethylene carbonate (EC) + dimethyl carbonate) (1:1?v/v), and 115 F?g^?1 in 1 M Et₃MeNBF₄/propylene carbonate organic electrolyte, respectively. In addition, the carbon materials demonstrate long-term cycle stability, especially the AK3P-0.30 in aqueous electrolyte and the AK2P-0.30 with excellent rate capability in organic electrolyte. These reveal that the existence of a micro-mesoporous structure of activated carbon is beneficial to store energy in an aqueous supercapacitor and broad pore size distribution of activated carbon is favorable to energy storage in an organic supercapacitor. The carbon materials with pore size distribution in different ranges improve the electrochemical performance of supercapacitor in different electrolytes. A new pore-expand agent (PVA combining with KOH) was used to obtain porous carbons with enhanced properties for supercapacitor.     

The effect of activation technology on the electrochemical performance of calcium carbide skeleton carbon

Porous CaC₂-derived carbon (CCDC) was synthesized by one-step route from CaC₂ in a freshly prepared chlorine environment at lower temperature. As-prepared CCDC was activated by H₃PO₄, ZnCl₂, and KOH, respectively. The effects of the activation technology on the structure and morphology of CCDC were studied by X-ray diffraction, physical N₂ adsorption/desorption, and transmission electron microscopy. It has been found that the pore structure and specific surface area of CCDC are apparently improved after activation; the CCDC activated by KOH especially showed an excellent specific surface area of 1,100?m²?g^?1. The electrochemical performance of supercapacitors using activated CCDC as electrode active material was studied by cyclic voltammery, galvanostatic charge/discharge, and cycle life measurements. The results indicated that the CCDCs activated by H₃PO₄, ZnCl₂, and KOH revealed enhanced capacitances of 172.6, 198.1, and 250.1?F?g^?1 in 6?M KOH electrolyte, which were increased by 11.4, 27.8, and 61.2?% compared with the pristine CCDC (155?F?g^?1), respectively. Furthermore, the supercapacitors using all activated CCDCs as electrode active material exhibited excellent cycle stability, and the specific capacitance for all activated CCDC samples had nearly no change after 5,000 cycles.     

In situ synthesis of crosslinked-polyaniline nano-pillar arrays/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites for supercapacitors

Crosslinked-polyaniline (CPA) nano-pillar arrays adsorbed on the surface of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) sheets were synthesized by in situ solution polymerization through two steps of reduction. The electrochemical analyses demonstrated that the befittingly reduced CPA/RGO composite exhibited high performance as electrode materials for supercapacitors. The CPA/RGO composite showed very high specific capacitance of 1532 F g^?1 at a scan rate of 10 mV s^?1 or 694 F g^?1 at a current density of 2 A g^?1 in 1 M H₂SO₄ electrolyte, as well as great energy density of 61.4 W h kg^?1 at a current density of 2 A g^?1. The electrode material also had decent power density of 4 kW kg^?1 at a current density of 10 A g^?1, and good cycling stability of 92.5 % capacitance retained after 500 cycles of cyclic voltammetry at 500 mV s^?1. The neat microstructures and super electrochemical properties suggest the potential use of the composites in supercapacitors.     

Application of a novel redox-active electrolyte in MnO2-based supercapacitors

This paper reports a novel strategy for preparing redox-active electrolyte through introducing a redox-mediator(p-phenylenediamine,PPD) into KOH electrolyte for the application of ball-milled MnO 2-based supercapacitors.The morphology and compositions of ball-milled MnO 2 were characterized using scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and X-ray diffraction(XRD).The electrochemical properties of the supercapacitor were evaluated by cyclic voltammetry(CV),galvanostatic charge-discharge(GCD),and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS) techniques.The introduction of p-phenylenediamine significantly improves the performance of the supercapacitor.The electrode specific capacitance of the supercapacitor is 325.24 F g-1,increased by 6.25 folds compared with that of the unmodified system(44.87 F g-1) at the same current density,and the energy density has nearly a 10-fold increase,reaching 10.12 Wh Kg-1.In addition,the supercapacitor exhibits good cycle-life stability.     

KOH direct treatment of kombucha and in situ activation to prepare hierarchical porous carbon for high-performance supercapacitor electrodes

Kombucha, a renewable biomass, has been successfully utilized as an accessible carbon source to fabricate kombucha-derived hierarchical porous carbon (KHPC) by KOH direct treatment and in situ activation. The prepared KHPC shows an interconnected hierarchical porous structure, a pore volume of 0.41 cm³ g^?1, and a specific surface area of 917 m² g^?1. Due to the multiple synergistic effects of these advantages, the KHPC-3 exhibits a high specific capacitance of 326 F g^?1 at a current density of 1 A g^?1 in 6 M KOH, good rate capability of 82% retention from 1 to 20 A g^?1, and cycling performance with 91.3% retention over 5000 cycles. Moreover, the KHPC-3 symmetric supercapacitor reveals a good energy density of 20.97 Wh kg^?1 at a power density of 871.2 W kg^?1 and retains 8.08 Wh kg^?1 at 6330 W kg^?1 in 1 M Na₂SO₄ electrolyte. Therefore, the KHPC obtained via the simple synthesis process shows great promise as an electrode material in energy storage devices.     

The calcined zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) under different conditions as electrode for supercapacitor applications

Zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) is synthesized by typical solvothermal method and subsequently calcined under air and nitrogen atmosphere, respectively. The carbon in the calcined ZIF-8 under nitrogen atmosphere was from the carbonization of the guest molecules, without adding any other carbon sources. The samples are characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and electrochemical analyzer system. When the ZIF-8 is used as electrode materials for a supercapacitor in 6 M KOH electrolyte, it displays a pseudocapacitive behavior. The untreated ZIF-8 and calcined ZIF-8 under air and nitrogen atmosphere electrodes exhibit a specific capacitance of 96, 156, and 185 F g^?1, respectively, at a scan rate of 5 mV s^?1 and good stability over 1,500 cycles. These results indicate that the ZIF-8 is a promising material for supercapacitors.     

NiO@CuO@Cu bilayered electrode: two-step electrochemical synthesis supercapacitor properties

Present work deals with a two-step synthesis and electrochemical properties of nickel oxide @copper oxide@copper (NiO@CuO@Cu) bilayered electrode. In the first step, anodization (40 V for 25 min) of Cu foil has been carried out for forming Cu-hydroxide@Cu which when annealed at 300 °C for 1 h produces CuO@Cu. In the second step, Ni-hydroxide is deposited onto CuO@Cu by applying current density of 0.03 A/cm² for 3 min which when re-annealed at 300 °C for 1 h gives out NiO@CuO@Cu bilayered electrode. Obtained NiO@CuO@Cu bilayered electrode demonstrates separate CuO and NiO phases. The electrochemical properties have obtained using cyclic voltammetry, galvonostatic charge-discharge, and Nyquist plot measurements that reveal an importance of NiO@CuO@Cu as a potential electrode material in the electrochemical supercapacitor application with 58.14, 51.25, and 4.73 F g^?1 values in 0.5 M, NaOH, KOH, and Na₂SO₄ electrolytes, respectively, measured at 2 mVs^?1 scan rate.     

Preparation of activated carbon from polyaniline by zinc chloride activation as supercapacitor electrodes

Activated carbon for supercapacitor electrode was prepared from polyaniline using chemical activation with ZnCl₂. The morphology, surface chemical composition, and surface area of the as-prepared carbon materials were investigated by scanning electron microscope, atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller measurement, respectively. Electrochemical characteristics were evaluated by cyclic voltammograms, galvanostatic charge/discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy tests in 6.0 mol L⁻¹ KOH aqueous solution. The electrochemical measurements showed that ZnCl₂ activation led to better capacitive performances. The activated carbon presented a high-specific gravimetric capacitance of 174 F g⁻¹, with rectangular cyclic voltammetry curves at a scan rate of 2 mV s⁻¹, and it remained 93% even at a high scan rate of 50 mV s⁻¹. These demonstrated that activated carbon would be a promising electrode material for supercapacitors.

     

Excellent electrochemical performance of nitrogen-enriched hierarchical porous carbon electrodes prepared using nano-CaCO3 as template

Recently, tremendous research efforts have been concentrated on developing high-performance electrode materials to meet the ever-increasing energy and power demands in supercapacitors. Herein, we presented a high-capacity supercapacitor material based on nitrogen-enriched hierarchical porous carbons (NHPCs) synthesized by the carbonization of melamine formaldehyde resins using eco-friendly and inexpensive nano-CaCO₃ as template. The effects of carbonization temperature and template content on the porous structure and electrochemical characteristics were compared and discussed in detail. The prepared NHPCs possessed large surface area up to 834 m² g^?1 and high nitrogen content up to 20.94 wt %. As electrode material for supercapacitors, NHPCs exhibited superior electrochemical performances with high specific capacitance (190 F g^?1 at 20 A g^?1), outstanding rate capability (80 %), and excellent cycling stability (over 2,000 cycles at 5 A g^?1) in 1 M sulfuric acid media. The excellent electrochemical performances are due to the synergic effects of unique hierarchical porous microstructure, abundant nitrogen and oxygen functionalities, as well as high degree of graphitization framework.     

One-step synthesis of nitrogen-doped porous carbon for supercapacitors utilizing KNO<Subscript>3</Subscript> as an electrolyte

Nitrogen-doped porous carbons were prepared using a facile method, with low-biotechnology fulvic acid potassium salts as a precursor. The prepared carbons had a high surface area (1623 m² g^?1) and good electrochemical properties, making them suitable electrode materials for supercapacitors. Nitrogen-doped porous carbons were tested as an electrode in both 6 M KOH aqueous solution and different concentrations KNO₃ aqueous solution. The nitrogen-doped porous carbons with unique microstructure and nitrogen functionalities exhibited a capacitance of 235 F g^?1 in a 6 M KOH aqueous solution. Electrochemical investigation showed that the nitrogen-doped porous carbons exhibited a broad potential operational window in a 2.5 M KNO₃ aqueous solution. Furthermore, a high capacitance retention of 88.1 % was achieved even after 5000 cycles at 1.7 V. Potassium nitrate solutions in a wide range of concentrations were also proven to be promising electrolytes for electrochemical capacitors because they are cheap, noncorrosive, electrochemically stable, and compatible to diverse current collectors.     

Ultrasonic-assisted synthesis of magnetite/carbon nanocomposite for electrochemical supercapacitor

Iron oxides are considered as the promising pseudocapacitive materials for high-performance supercapacitors due to their high theoretical specific capacitance, low cost, environmental benignity, and natural abundance. In this work, we study capacitive behavior of different magnetite (Fe₃O₄) nanoparticles/carbon black (CB) composites ratios. These composites are synthesized by the coprecipitation method in the presence of ultrasonic waves. The structural and morphological characteristics of the magnetite/CB composites are investigated by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The electrochemical performance of magnetite/CB composite electrodes is tested by cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge/discharge in a Na₂SO₄ electrolyte. The results indicate that the magnetite/CB electrodes show typical pseudo-capacitive behavior in Na₂SO₄ solution. Moreover, in comparison to the pure Fe₃O₄ (37 F g^?1) and carbon black (23 F g^?1), the as-prepared 45 % magnetite/CB nanocomposite electrode shows a higher specific capacitance (300 F g^?1). Additionally, the supercapacitor device of the magnetite/CB nanocomposite exhibits excellent long cycle life along with 98.5 % specific capacitance retained after 10,000 cycle tests.     

A hexaazatriphenylene-based porous organic polymer for high performance supercapacitor

Porous organic polymers (POPs) with high physiochemical stability and pseudocapacitive activity are crucial for supercapacitors with high specific capacitance and long cycle life. We report herein a hexaazatrinaphthylene-based POP (HPOP-1) for high-performance supercapacitor by introducing redox-active hexaazatrinaphthylene (HATN) moiety through Sonogashira–Hagihara coupling reaction. HATN moiety can undergo a proton-induced electron transfer redox reaction, which endows HPOP-1 with high pseudocapacitive activity. As electrode materials for supercapacitor application, HPOP-1 exhibits high specific capacitance (667 F g⁻¹ at 0.5 A g⁻¹) and long-term cyclic stability (90% capacitance retention after 10,000 cycles at 5 A g⁻¹) in a three-electrode system with 1 M H₂SO₄ as the electrolyte. In addition, HPOP-1 also exhibits a specific capacitance of 376 F g⁻¹ at 0.5 A g⁻¹ in 1 M KOH electrolyte. An asymmetric supercapacitor was further fabricated with HPOP-1 as negative electrode and rGO as positive electrode, respectively. The device delivers a specific capacitance of 63 F g⁻¹ at 0.5 A g⁻¹ and a rate performance of 37 F g⁻¹ at 5 A g⁻¹. Our work provides a facile approach for the design and preparation of pseudocapacitive POPs with high specific capacitance and long cycle life.     

Facile synthesis of biomass-derived hierarchical porous carbon microbeads for supercapacitors

Using the facile method of solvent evaporation, the leonardite fulvic acids (LFA)-based porous carbon microbeads (PCM) have been successfully prepared at ambient pressure, followed by carbonization and KOH activation (a low mass ratio alkali/LFA = 1.5) in an inert atmosphere. The effects of KOH treatment on pore structures and the formation mechanism of the PCM were discussed. The results showed that the sample exhibited remarkable improvement in textural properties. The activated carbon microbeads had high surface area (2269 m² g^?1), large pore volume (1.97 cm³ g^?1), and displayed excellent capacitive performances, compared with carbon powder. The porous carbon material electrodes with the “porous core structure” behaved superiorly at a specific capacitance of 320 F g^?1 at a current density of 0.05 A g^?1 in 6 M KOH electrolyte, which could still remain 193 F g^?1 when the current density increased to 100 A g^?1. Remarkably, in the 1 M TEABF₄/PC electrolyte, the PCM samples could reach 156 F g^?1 at 0.05 A g^?1, possess an outstanding energy density of 39.50 Wh kg^?1, and maintain at 22.05 Wh kg^?1 even when the power density rose up to 5880 W kg^?1. The balance of structural characteristic and high performance makes the porous carbon microbeads a competitive and promising supercapacitor electrode material.     

Effect of surfactant on the morphology and capacitive performance of porous NiCo2O4

A promising nickel cobaltite oxide (NiCo₂O₄) composite electrode material was successfully synthesized by a sol-gel method and followed by a simple sintering process. The microstructure and surface morphology of NiCo₂O₄ modified by hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and polyvinyl alcohol were physically characterized by powder X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. Meanwhile, electrochemical performance was widely investigated in 2 M KOH aqueous electrolyte using cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge-discharge test, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The results show that evident porous microstructure was successfully fabricated by CTAB. The NiCo₂O₄ controlled by CTAB exhibited highly specific capacitance of 1,440 F?g^?1 at a current density of 5 mA?cm^?2. Remarkably, it still displays desirable cycle retention of 94.1 % over 1,000 cycle numbers at a current density of 20 mA?cm^?2. The excellent electrochemical performance suggests its potential application in electrode material for electrochemical capacitors.     

The preparation of LaSr<Subscript>3</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>10 − <Emphasis Type="Italic">δ</Emphasis></Subscript> and its electrochemical performance

LaSr₃Fe₃O_10 ? δ powders were synthesized by hydrothermal method and characterized by XRD and SEM. The XRD patterns showed that the sample calcined at 1000 °C was single phase and the sample calcined at 900 °C had tiny amount of LaSrFeO₄ phase. The single-phase LaSr₃Fe₃O_10 ? δ powders were used to prepare test electrode. The capacitive behaviors of LaSr₃Fe₃O_10 ? δ electrode were analyzed by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge-discharge techniques, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The electrochemical results showed a capacity as high as 470 F g^?1 at a scan rate of 1 mV s^?1 and 380 F g^?1 at a charge-discharge current density of 0.1 A g^?1 in 6 M KOH solution. The electrode showed good cyclic stability since its capacitive retention is 87.1% after 1000 charge-discharge cycles. The electrochemical performances suggest that LaSr₃Fe₃O_10 ? δ could be a potential candidate as a capacitive electrode material.     

Improving the electrochemical performances of active carbon-based supercapacitors through the combination of introducing functional groups and using redox additive electrolyte

High-performance and low-cost electrochemical capacitors (ECs) are essential for large-scale applications in energy storage. In this work, the specific capacitance of active carbon (AC) electrode was significantly improved through the combination of introducing functional groups on the surface of AC and adding redox-active molecules (K₃Fe(CN)₆) into 2?M KOH aqueous electrolytes. The surface-oxygen functionalized AC (FAC) was synthesized using HNO₃ echoed as the electrode and 2?M KOH with 0.1?M K₃Fe(CN)₆ as the electrolyte. The surface functional groups of the AC not only contribute to the pseudocapacitance but also increase the active sites of the electrode/electrolyte interface, which enhances the electrochemical activity of the Fe(CN)₆^3?/Fe(CN)₆^4? redox pair, thus leading to high capacitance. In the redox electrolyte, the specific capacitance was much higher in 229.17?F?g^?1 (1?A?g^?1) achieved for those FAC than in raw AC (only 147.06?F?g^?1). Similarly, the FAC electrode suggested high energy density and extended cycling stability in the KOH?+?K₃Fe(CN)₆ electrolyte.     

Synthesis and electrochemical properties of activated carbons and Li4Ti5O12 as electrode materials for supercapacitors

New activated nanoporous carbons, produced by carbonization of mixtures of coal tar pitch and furfural with subsequent steam activation, as well as electrochemically active oxide Li₄Ti₅O₁₂, prepared by thermal co-decomposition of oxalates, were tested and characterized as electrode materials for electrochemical supercapacitors. The phase composition, microstructure, surface morphology and porous structure of the materials were studied. Pure carbon electrodes as well as composite electrodes based on these materials obtained were fabricated. Two types of supercapacitor (SC) cells were assembled and subjected to charge–discharge cycling study at different current rates: (1) symmetric sandwich-type SC cells with identical activated carbon electrodes and different organic electrolytes, and (2) asymmetric hybrid SC cell composed by activated graphitized carbon as a negative electrode and activated carbon–Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ oxide composite as a positive electrode, and an organic electrolyte (LiPF₆–dimethyl carbonate/ethylene carbonate (DMC/EC). Four types of carbons with different specific surface area (1,000–1,600 m² g^?1) and texture parameters, as well as three types of organic electrolytes: Et₄NBF₄–propylene carbonate (PC), LiBF₄–PC and LiPF₆–DMC/EC in the symmetric SC cell, were tested and compared with each other. Capacitance value up to 70 F g^?1 for the symmetric SC, depending on the electrolyte microstructure and conductivity of the carbon material used, and capacitance of about 150 F g^?1 for the asymmetric SC cell, with good cycleability for both supercapacitor systems, were obtained.     

Coal tar residues-based nanostructured activated carbon/Fe3O4 composite electrode materials for supercapacitors

Oxygen-rich activated carbon with a three-dimensional network structure was prepared by chemical activation of coal tar residues with potassium hydroxide and subsequent carbonization treatment. Nanostructured Fe₃O₄/AC composites were then prepared by simple chemical coprecipitation method and were used as active electrode materials for supercapacitors. The electrochemical behaviors of Fe₃O₄/AC nanocomposites were characterized by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge–discharge and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in 1.0 M Na₂SO₃ electrolyte. It was shown that the specific capacitance of Fe₃O₄/AC nanocomposites reached 150 F g^?1 at a current density of 3.0 A g^?1 and was a great improvement over Fe₃O₄ or AC alone. Furthermore, as-prepared Fe₃O₄/AC nanocomposites exhibited long cycle life without obvious capacitance fading even after 1,000 charge/discharge cycles. Compared with pure Fe₃O₄ and AC, the significant enhanced electrochemical performance of Fe₃O₄/AC nanocomposites could be reasonably attributed to the positive synergetic effect between Fe₃O₄ and AC.     

Preparation of activated carbon from polyaniline by zinc chloride activation as supercapacitor electrodes

Activated carbon for supercapacitor electrode was prepared from polyaniline using chemical activation with ZnCl₂. The morphology, surface chemical composition, and surface area of the as-prepared carbon materials were investigated by scanning electron microscope, atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller measurement, respectively. Electrochemical characteristics were evaluated by cyclic voltammograms, galvanostatic charge/discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy tests in 6.0?mol?L^?? KOH aqueous solution. The electrochemical measurements showed that ZnCl₂ activation led to better capacitive performances. The activated carbon presented a high-specific gravimetric capacitance of 174?F?g^??, with rectangular cyclic voltammetry curves at a scan rate of 2?mV?s^??, and it remained 93% even at a high scan rate of 50?mV?s^??. These demonstrated that activated carbon would be a promising electrode material for supercapacitors.     

Synthesis of micro- and mesoporous carbon spheres for supercapacitor electrode

Micro- and mesoporous carbon spheres (MMCSs) are synthesized by the polymerization of colloidal silica-entrapped resorcinol/formaldehyde in the presence of ammonia as catalyst, followed by carbonization, sodium hydroxide (NaOH) etching to remove silica template, and potassium hydroxide (KOH) activation. The morphology and microstructure are characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and nitrogen adsorption–desorption. The results show that a typical sample (denoted as MMCS-3) unites the characteristics of regular spherical shape (uniform diameters of 500 nm), high specific surface area (1,620 m² g^?1), large pore volume (1.037 cm³ g^?1), and combined micropores and mesopores (11.0 nm), which endows MMCS-3 good electrochemical performance. MMCS-3 as supercapacitor electrode shows a specific capacitance of 314 F g^?1 under a current density of 0.5 A g^?1 and low internal resistance of 0.2 Ω in 6 M KOH aqueous solution. The electrochemical capacitance still retains 198 F g^?1 at a high current density of 10 A g^?1. After 500 cycle numbers of galvanostatic charge/discharge at 0.5 A g^?1, MMCS-3 electrode still remains the specific capacitance of 301 F g^?1 with the retention of 96 %. This study highlights the potential of well-designed MMCSs as electrodes for widespread supercapacitor applications.