Reed straw derived active carbon/graphene hybrids as sustainable high-performance electrodes for advanced supercapacitors

• Published in: Journal of solid state electrochemistry 2016-02, Vol.20 (2), p.449-457
• Main Authors: Xie, Qinxing, Zheng, Anran, Zhai, Sibo, Wu, Shihua, Xie, Chao, Zhang, Yufeng, Guan, Yunfei
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analytical Chemistry; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Condensed Matter Physics; Electrochemistry; Energy Storage; Original Paper; Physical Chemistry
• ISSN: 1432-8488; 1433-0768
• DOI: 10.1007/s10008-015-3061-y

Reed straw-derived active carbon@graphene (AC@GR) hybrids were prepared by one-step carbonization/activation process using a mixture of reed straw and graphene oxide (GO) as raw materials and ZnCl 2 as activation agent. The as-prepared hybrids exhibit high specific surface area in a range of 1971–2497 m 2  g −1 , abundant porosity, as well as excellent energy storage capability. The symmetric C//C supercapacitor using the hybrid obtained at 700 °C as electrodes demonstrates superior cycling durability, ca. 90 % retention after 6000 cycles at 2 A g −1 , and a high energy density of 6.12 Wh kg −1 at a power density of up to 4660 W kg −1 in 6 M KOH aqueous electrolyte. The excellent capacitive performance is attributed to the synergistic effect of AC and GR.