Porous carbons derived from zinc-based nitrogen heterocyclic complexes combined with KOH activation for use as supercapacitors

Abstract

2,2’-Bipyridine with strong coordination ability for metal ions was used to prepare N-doped porous carbon materials by a facile method of solution agitation and annealing, with KOH as the activated solvent. Applied to supercapacitors, these porous carbon materials exhibit high specific capacitance and outstanding rate performance, which are attributed to their larger specific surface area, richer pore structure, and N-doping after KOH activation, leading to fast electron transport and increased ion storage in the unique architecture.