A Reactive Template Synthesis Of Hierarchical Porous Carbon And Its Application To Supercapacitor Electrodes

Hierarchical porous carbons (HPCs) are highly in demand as electrode materials for efficient supercapacitors. Herein, a modified template carbonization approach in conjunction with chemical activation is described for synthesis of HPCs by direct one-pot pyrolysis of a mixture of glucose (G), reactive template precursor (Zn-2(OH)(2)CO3)(BZC), and K2CO3(PC) in which in situ ZnO produced from decomposition of Zn-2(OH)(2)CO(3)acts as template and K(2)CO(3)as activator, followed by simple acid-leaching. The resultant undoped carbon [HPC(G-BZC-PC)] is endowed with coral reef-like morphology, 3D porous networks, numerous micro/mesopores, ultrahigh surface area, and goodelectrical conductivity. The specific capacitance delivered by a two-electrode symmetric supercapacitor with the HPC(G-BZC-PC) achieves 241.2 F g(-1)at 1 A g(-1), which is superior to that of the two control samples prepared without addition of BZC and PC, respectively. Furthermore, the rate capability reaches as high as to 90.5% and 74.6% with current density from 1 to 10 A g(-1)and 50 A g(-1), respectively, and an excellent cycling stability is observed with more than 98% of retention after 10 000 cycles at 5 A g(-1)in 6mKOH. It is concluded that a cooperative effect deriving from the above-mentioned unique features contributes to the enhanced supercapacitor performance.