Green preparation and supercapacitive behaviors of calcium carbide derived porous carbon based on solvent-free mechanochemical route

Abstract

Carbide-derived carbon (CDC) as a late-model type of porous carbon material has become a potential electrode material for supercapacitor. However, the preparation methods of Cl2 etching and electrochemical etching are environmentally unfriendly and extremely difficult for large-scale production. Thus, exploring a simple and environmentally friendly synthetic method of CDC materials is very imperative. In this work, calcium carbide derived porous carbon (CCDPC) is successfully synthesized through solvent-free mechanochemical reaction. The results show that the CCDPC is a kind of micro-mesoporous combination material with layered structure, partial graphite-like structure and high specific surface area of 525.3 cm2 g−1. It has been found that the as-prepared electrode possesses a better electrochemical performance in 1 M KOH electrolyte, and the specific capacitance reaches up to 205.4 F g−1 at current density of 0.5 A g−1. Furthermore, the assembled symmetric supercapacitor displays a high cycle stability, the capacitance retention still remains 93% after 30,000 cycles. Therefore, the preparation strategy of CCDPC with excellent electrochemical properties through a simple mechanochemical reaction provides an innovative synthetic idea for the preparation of calcium carbide derived carbon materials for the application of supercapacitors.