Template-synthesized hierarchical porous carbons from bio-oil with high performance for supercapacitor electrodes

Abstract

Hierarchical porous carbons were prepared from bio-oil for the first time using nano-MgO as a template. The effect of magnesium acetate-to-bio-oil mass ratio on morphology, pore structure and electrochemical property was studied in details. These as-prepared bio-oil derived hierarchical porous carbons (BHPCs) exhibit advantages for supercapacitor electrodes including large specific surface area of 1167–1409 m2 g−1, hierarchical porous structure and rich O-doping. Benefiting from the multiple synergistic effects of these features, the carbon electrode can achieve a high capacitance of 344 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1, an excellent rate performance of 168 F g−1 at a heavy current density of 50 A g−1 and a superb cycling stability in 6 M KOH electrolyte solution, which is much more superior than that of biomass-based commercial activated carbon. This work suggests a novel and feasible high-value utilization method of bio-oil through synthesizing hierarchical porous carbons for high-performance supercapacitor.