Hierarchical Doped Gelatin-Derived Carbon Aerogels: Three Levels of Porosity for Advanced Supercapacitors

Abstract

Nitrogen-doped graphene-based aerogels with three levels of hierarchically organized pores were prepared via a simple environmentally friendly process, and successfully tested in supercapacitor applications. Mesopores and macropores were formed during the aerogel preparation followed by carbonization and its chemical activation by potassium hydroxide (KOH). These mesopores and macropores consist of amorphous carbon and a 3D graphene framework. Thermal treatment at 700 °C, 800 °C, 900 °C in N2 atmosphere was done to etch out the amorphous carbon and obtain a stable N-doped 3D graphene. Specific capacitance values obtained from the electrochemical measurements are in the range of 232–170 F× g−1. The thus fabricated structures showed excellent cyclic stability, suggesting that these materials have potential as electrodes for solid asymmetric supercapacitors.

Functional Nanomaterials from Waste and Low‐Value Natural Products: A Technological Approach Level

“…Kandasamy et al used nitrogen‐rich gelatin as the input material for the synthesis of graphene‐based aerogels inherently doped with nitrogen, where the hierarchical architecture of the material featured three levels of pores. [ 116 ] The larger pores (at meso‐ and macrolevels) were a result of the aerogel preparation, and consisted of a complex amorphous carbon/3D graphene framework that emerged as a result of carbonization ( Figure ). [ 117,118 ] Potassium hydroxide was used for chemical activation of the framework.…”

“…Reproduced under the terms of the CC BY 4.0 license. [ 116 ] Copyright 2020, The Authors. Published by MDPI.…”

Recent advancement of biomass-derived porous carbon based materials for energy and environmental remediation applications

“…A wide range of biomass precursors rich in biomolecules like carbohydrates, chitin, proteins and tannins have also made remarkable scientic progress for the design of functional biomass-based carbon. [36][37][38][39] Also in particular, there are several biomass sources wherein the synthesized porous carbon contains a large quantity of surface functional groups (like carboxylic, pyridinic, pyrrolic, etc.) and doped heteroatoms (like O, N, S, P).…”

Activated Carbons and Their Evaluation in Electric Double Layer Capacitors

“…The contribution of mesopores should not be completely ignored because they act as ion transportation routes. This function is more relevant when an organic electrolyte with low ion mobility is applied or a high-power supercapacitor is designed [ 155 , 156 , 157 , 158 ]. However, a 10–20% contribution of mesopores to the total porosity of an AC is sufficient to ensure a high charge/discharge rate of the electrode material in commonly used electrolytes.…”