Issue 3, 2019

Ultrahigh energy density of a N, O codoped carbon nanosphere based all-solid-state symmetric supercapacitor

Abstract

Quinones are attractive redox-active starting materials due to their excellent electron transfer kinetics and outstanding redox reversibility, while amines featuring high electron-pair donicity reinforce the redox behavior of quinones and simultaneously introduce redox groups themselves. Herein, a novel quinone-amine route is designed to fabricate N, O codoped porous carbon nanospheres (PCNs) by direct carbonization–activation of a quinone-amine polymer which serves as an “all-in-one” precursor for the carbon source and self-dopant. The synthesis features simplicity, high efficiency and scale-up potential, based on the polymerization of p-benzoquinone and 3,3′-diaminobenzidine in ethanol under mild conditions, without any template, complicated technique or tedious procedure. PCNs integrate the superiorities of uniform spherical geometry, superior pore structure, and ultrahigh surface area and N/O content. A typical PCN electrode exhibits a high capacitance (376 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1 in a three-electrode system) in KOH electrolyte. The assembled supercapacitor based on the PCN electrode and KOH electrolyte delivers a capacitance of 72.5 F g−1 and an energy output of 6.5 W h kg−1. More importantly, a constructed symmetric supercapacitor using an ionic liquid gel electrolyte gives an ultrahigh energy density up to 65.8 W h kg−1, along with superb cycling stability. This study presents a more convenient and competitive route to design functionalized carbons for highly efficient energy storage.

Graphical abstract: Ultrahigh energy density of a N, O codoped carbon nanosphere based all-solid-state symmetric supercapacitor

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
22 Oct 2018
Accepted
06 Dec 2018
First published
06 Dec 2018

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2019,7, 1177-1186

Ultrahigh energy density of a N, O codoped carbon nanosphere based all-solid-state symmetric supercapacitor

Z. Song, D. Zhu, L. Li, T. Chen, H. Duan, Z. Wang, Y. Lv, W. Xiong, M. Liu and L. Gan, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2019, 7, 1177 DOI: 10.1039/C8TA10158B

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