No abstract

During thermal treatment of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) at 250-310℃, dechlorination reaction occurs and carbon atoms change from sp 3 hybridization to sp 2 hybridization. As the temperature rises, these carbon atoms of sp 2 hybridization are further assembled to form aromatic carbon. The product, carbon material, often has a certain degree of graphitization and high conductivity, thus being an excellent precursor for capacitor electrodes. In the absence of activators, PVC was converted to hierarchical porous carbon material (HPC) with a high yield and a specific capacitance of 226 F/g (1 A/g) successfully by using nano-ZnO as a template and catalyst. By comparing the mixing method of ZnO and PVC, and whether to remove ZnCl 2 before high-temperature carbonization, it is found that ZnO reduced the graphitization degree of the carbon materials, meanwhile introduced oxygen functional groups on the surface of the material, while ZnCl 2 had an opposite effect. The pore structure and graphitization properties of HPC can be further improved to enhance the capacitance performance by controlling the type and size of catalysts. This study provides a reference for the design of PVC-based HPC.