Facile synthesis of hierarchical porous carbon via the liquidoid carbonization method for supercapacitors

Abstract

A facile method is used to synthesize honey derived hierarchical porous carbon materials for supercapacitor application. The specific surface area and pore size distribution can be modified with different mass ratios of KOH at 800 °C under a N₂ atmosphere. The activated materials synthesized in a 3 : 1 ratio of KOH to char possess the maximum specific capacitance of 271 F g⁻¹ at 1 A g⁻¹ in a 6 M KOH electrolyte, and retain up to 212 F g⁻¹ even at 10 A g⁻¹ current density. In addition, these materials also show excellent capacity retention of 98% at 10 A g⁻¹ after 3000 cycles. The excellent electrochemical performance is attributed to high specific surface area and appropriate pore size distribution.