Issue 5, 2021

One-step solid-state pyrolysis of bio-wastes to synthesize multi-hierarchical porous carbon for ultra-long life supercapacitors

Abstract

Porous carbon is highly desired in supercapacitor electrodes due to its high specific surface area, ample pore size and superior electrochemical stability. Yet, the development of a general and simple synthetic method to prepare porous carbon remains challenging. Meanwhile, recycling waste to obtain high value-added materials is an effective way to solve environmental pollution and resource shortage problems. Herein, a general one-step solid-state pyrolysis method is developed to synthesize multi-hierarchical porous carbon using bio-wastes as precursors and potassium ferrate as the pore-forming agent. This method is superior to the traditional two-step or multi-step method due to its simple procedure, low cost, little pollution and time-saving features. The multiple pore-forming effect derived from potassium ferrate is responsible for this multi-hierarchical porous structure. The resulting porous carbon is used to fabricate symmetrical supercapacitors, exhibiting specific capacitances of 291.2 F g−1 at 1 A g−1 and 240.1 F g−1 at 10 A g−1, and exceptional cyclic stability with 93.2% capacitance retention over 100 000 cycles. Furthermore, this method has been applied to five other types of bio-wastes, verifying its universality. In addition, the multiple pore-forming mechanism of potassium ferrate is investigated. This work provides a simple and general method to convert abandoned bio-wastes into ideal supercapacitor electrode materials, which hold great potential in energy storage applications.

Graphical abstract: One-step solid-state pyrolysis of bio-wastes to synthesize multi-hierarchical porous carbon for ultra-long life supercapacitors

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Research Article
Submitted
20 Nov 2020
Accepted
19 Jan 2021
First published
19 Jan 2021

Mater. Chem. Front., 2021,5, 2320-2327

One-step solid-state pyrolysis of bio-wastes to synthesize multi-hierarchical porous carbon for ultra-long life supercapacitors

M. Fu, J. Huang, S. Feng, T. Zhang, P. Qian and W. Wong, Mater. Chem. Front., 2021, 5, 2320 DOI: 10.1039/D0QM00960A

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