Chitin derived nitrogen-doped porous carbons with ultrahigh specific surface area and tailored hierarchical porosity for high performance supercapacitors

• Published in: Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts 2021-05, Vol.6 (2), p.142-151
• Main Authors: Zheng, Si, Zhang, Jianwei, Deng, Hongbing, Du, Yumin, Shi, Xiaowen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Chitin; NaOH activation; Nitrogen doping; Pore structure; Supercapacitors
• ISSN: 2369-9698; 2369-9698
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jobab.2021.02.002

In this study, we report the fabrication of nitrogen rich activated nanosized carbon with hierarchical micro/mesoporous and ultrahigh specific surface area by template-free and one-step carbonization-activation method, which greatly simplified the process and avoided the waste of reagents. Chitin nanoparticles were prepared by a mechanical induced sol-gel transition process in NaOH/Urea solvent and a subsequent carbonization utilizing NaOH for activation and urea for N doping, resulting in activated carbon (ACNC-800) with extraordinary specific surface area (2631 m2/g) and high nitrogen content (7.1%). Further characterization and electrochemical tests demonstrate high electrochemical performance of the activated nanocarbon. Under the current density of 0.5 A/g, the specific capacitance of the three-electrode system is 245 F/g and that of the two-electrode system is 227 F/g. The assembled capacitors exhibit superior rate performance and good cycle stability (98% capacitance retention after 10000 charge-discharge cycles). This work introduces a simple and efficient strategy to prepare N-doped carbon with hierarchical porosity applied to high performance supercapacitors.