Preparation and electrochemical performance of attapulgite/citric acid template carbon electrode materials

Abstract

In this study, mesoporous carbon materials were prepared through the hard template method with attapulgite and citric acid as the template and the carbon source, respectively. The morphology and structure of the as-prepared carbon materials were investigated via scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, N2 adsorption/desorption technique, and powder X-ray diffraction. The as-prepared carbon materials replicated the nanorod structure of attapulgite. Furthermore, high-density mesopores were distributed on the surface of the as-prepared carbon materials. The carbon material ACA-700-3 exhibited a maximum specific surface area and total pore volume of 707 m2 g−1 and 1.22 cm3 g−1, respectively. The electrochemical performance and energy storage capacity of the carbon materials were evaluated using electrochemical tests. The maximum specific capacitance reached 182 F g−1 when the current density was 2 mA cm−2.