Synthesis of hierarchically porous carbon materials from nanocapsule based on interfacial polymerization of galla chinensis extract for all-solid-state supercapacitor application

Abstract

In this study, we have demonstrated a facile and economic approach to synthesize hierarchically porous carbon materials (HPCMs) derived from galla chinensis. We mixed the aqueous crude extract of galla chinensis and the triblock copolymer Pluronic F127 solution to lead to an interfacial polymerization reaction, finally resulting in the formation of nanocapsule in the solution. Compared to the soft template approach in which F127 is used as a template agent, the nanocapsule approach enables larger specific surface area (SSA) HPCM, which is attributed to the change of state of F127 in solutions measured by confocal Raman spectroscopy. We find that the optimal product called GC04 owns a high specific surface area (SSA) 236 m2∙g−1 without any post activation treatment. Benefiting from the high SSA, GC04 exhibits 33% higher areal capacitance than its counterparts obtained via conventional soft template approach in a well-sealed in-plane micro-supercapacitor (IMSC). Therefore, the present investigation provides a new approach for the high value use of galla chinensis, which is low-cost and highly sustainable for synthesis of HPCMs.