Application of attapulgite/maltose system on mesoporous carbon material preparation for electrochemical capacitors

Abstract

Mesoporous carbon materials were prepared through atmospheric pressure impregnation at room temperature using attapulgite as hard template and maltose as carbon source. N2 absorption–desorption, X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy were used to determine the construction and morphology of the materials. The results showed that the prepared carbon materials possessed chain-layered structures whose surfaces were filled with ample nanoscale apertures. The materials also exhibited partial fasciculus with specific surface area and total pore volume of 628.6 m2 g−1 and 1.31 cm3 g−1, respectively. Constant current charge/discharge, cyclic voltammetry, and AC impedance tests were performed to evaluate the electrochemical performance of the materials. The constant current charge/discharge tests showed that the materials have excellent energy storage capacity. When the current density was 600 mA g−1, the specific capacitance value reached 171 F g−1. The materials showed quasi-rectangular features of typical cyclic voltammetry curve even at high scan rate (200 mV s−1), indicating that they possess excellent rate capacity. The AC impedance tests showed that the materials were typical porous electrode materials with combination resistance of 0.82 Ω. The specific capacitance of the materials reached 79 % after 1,000 constant current charge/discharge cycles, indicating that they have superior cyclic stability.