Porous nitrogen-doped graphene for high energy density supercapacitors in an ionic liquid electrolyte

Abstract

Porous nitrogen-doped graphene (PNG) has been prepared via simple thermal treatment of graphene oxide and urea, and the morphology and structure of the PNG have been characterized by using a range of electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and other techniques. The electrochemical performances of the PNG have been investigated in an ionic liquid electrolyte by cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge via both three-electrode and two-electrode configurations. The PNG electrode delivers a specific capacitance of 310 F g−1 at 1 A g−1 with good cycling stability over 4000 cycles. The high electrochemical performance is ascribed to the porous structure and nitrogen-doping in the PNG. The porous structure enables high specific surface area and rapid ion mobility, contributing to double layer capacitance, while the N-doping enhances electrochemical activity and electric conductivity, contributing to pseudocapacitance. Meanwhile, the ionic liquid electrolyte enables a very wide working voltage of 3 V, leading to a high energy density up to 163.8 W h kg−1. The fabricated supercapacitor can light up a LED for a long while with low self-discharge, showing good potential for practical application.