Three-Dimensional Interconnected Reticular Porous Carbon From Corn Starch By a Sample Sol–Gel Method Toward High-Performance Supercapacitors With Aqueous and Ionic Liquid Electrolytes

Abstract

A three-dimensional interconnected reticular porous carbon (3D-RPC) with a large surface area of 1535 m2 g–1 by a sol–gel method followed by carbonation as well as a chemical activation process using corn starch as a carbon precursor was demonstrated. The 3D-RPC shows the ultrahigh specific capacitance of 372 F g–1 at a current density of 0.5 A g–1 in a 2 M KOH electrolyte, and the 3D-RPC//3D-RPC symmetry supercapacitors achieved a high energy density of 9.2 Wh kg–1 as well as long cycle life with the capacitance retention of 90% after 10000 cycles. Furthermore, [BMIm]­BF4/AN ionic liquid was selected as the electrolyte to improve the potential operating window where the high specific capacitance of 218 F g–1 at a current density of 0.5 A g–1 can be achieved. A 3D-RPC based symmetry supercapacitor in [BMIm]­BF4/AN delivers an outstanding energy density of 24.5 Wh kg–1, which is higher than that of most previously reported carbon materials. Considering the high purity and low cost of corn starch as well as the excellent capacitive performance of the 3D-RPC, the current study provides an effective strategy for the design of low-cost toward high-performance carbon-based supercapacitors.

Green flexible electronics based on starch

“…The supercapacitor worked well even under large angle bending (138°), thus may find potential in the application of wearable equipment. Similarly, Liu et al 158 prepared three-dimensional interconnected reticular porous carbon electrode using corn starch as the carbon precursor (see protocol in Fig. 9b).…”

Review on Sol-Gel Synthesis of Perovskite and Oxide Nanomaterials

“…The material’s porosity displayed exceptional supercapacitive performance with a 372 F g −1 specific capacitance (0.5 A g −1 ). The electrochemical performance of 3D-RPC outperforms that of most previously characterized carbon materials, opening a new path for large-scale production of a low-cost, high-purity porous carbon for supercapacitors [ 124 ].…”

Control of the interface graphitized/amorphous carbon of biomass-derived carbon microspheres for symmetric supercapacitors

“…Cyclic performance test was tested on Land battery measurement system (LAND BT2013A). The specific capacity of the SS was calculated according to the equation (1) 16 . C=(It)/ (Vm)…”

“…A combination of high graphitized degree and suitable amorphous structure into the porous carbon may achieve the target of enhanced energy storage capability 14 . Biomass-derived porous carbon microspheres have attracted great interest for electrode materials due to their rich sources and excellent electrochemical performance for supercapacitors 1,13,15,16 . Flexible construction of biomass-derived carbon microspheres simultaneously possessing large enough SSA and high graphitization degree is highly desirable, but it is still challenging 17 .…”