Hierarchical porous carbon microspheres derived from porous starch for use in high-rate electrochemical double-layer capacitors

• Published in: Bioresource technology Vol. 139; pp. 406 - 409
• Main Authors: Du, Si-hong, Wang, Li-qun, Fu, Xiao-ting, Chen, Ming-ming, Wang, Cheng-yang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.07.2013; Elsevier
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; capacitance; Capacitors; Carbon; Carbon - chemistry; chemistry; Current density; Electric Capacitance; Electric double layer capacitors; Electrochemical Techniques; Electrochemical Techniques - instrumentation; electrochemistry; Electrodes; electrolytes; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Hierarchical porous carbon microspheres; High rate; instrumentation; Microspheres; Porosity; Porous starch; Precursors; starch; Starch - chemistry; Starches; Surface area; High rate; Electric double layer capacitors; Porous starch; Hierarchical porous carbon microspheres; Microsphere; Starch; Electrochemistry; Porosity; Carbon
• ISSN: 0960-8524; 1873-2976; 1873-2976
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2013.04.085

•Biomass waste porous starch was utilized to fabricate hierarchical porous carbon.•The nanocarbon contains inherent macropores and KOH-creating meso- and micropores.•The capacitance could be maintained at 197Fg−1 even at 180Ag−1. Porous starch was used as a precursor for hierarchical porous carbon microspheres. The preparation consisted of stabilisation, carbonisation and KOH activation, and the resultant hierarchical porous carbon microspheres had a large BET surface area of 3251m2g−1. Due to the large surface area and the hierarchical pore structure, electrodes made of the hierarchical porous carbon microsphere materials had high specific capacitances of 304Fg−1 at a current density of 0.05Ag−1 and 197Fg−1 at a current density of 180Ag−1 when used in a symmetric capacitor with 6M KOH as the electrolyte. After 10,000cycles, the capacitor still exhibited a stable performance with a capacitance retention of 98%. These results indicate that porous starch is an excellent precursor to prepare high performance electrode materials for EDLCs.