Lignosulphonate-cellulose derived porous activated carbon for supercapacitor electrode

Abstract

The notion of environmental protection and renewable sources for energy conversion and storage has become particularly important nowadays. In this research, a meso-microporous carbon was prepared by the combination of a template method and chemical activation with earth abundant cellulose and lignosulphonate as the sources. The as-synthesized meso-microporous carbon contained mesopores generated by regeneration of cellulose with the assistance of a silica template, and micropores created by chemical activation of carbon. Such a unique porous structure makes the as-synthesized meso-microporous carbon the ideal electrode active material for energy storage. The two-electrode symmetric supercapacitors built using the meso-microporous carbon electrodes show a specific capacitance of 286 F g⁻¹ at a current density of 0.25 A g⁻¹ in aqueous electrolyte. More importantly, the symmetric supercapacitor achieves a high energy density of 13 W h kg⁻¹ while at a high power density of 27 kW kg⁻¹. It is demonstrated that using renewable natural sources for the manufacturing of porous carbon with high performance for energy storage can be an effective way to lower the cost of a supercapacitor.