A sustainable approach to hierarchically porous carbons from tannic acid and their utilization in supercapacitive energy storage systems

Abstract

Hierarchically porous carbons with a high surface area have been synthesized by a salt template-assisted chemical activation approach using a biomass-derivative, tannic acid, as the carbon precursor. Tannic acid is pyrolyzed in the presence of KCl, acting as the template and reaction medium, and K₂CO₃, serving as both the template and activating agent. An important characteristic of our synthesis strategy is that the carbonaceous matter is immersed in a melted mixture constituted by the activating agent and KCl. This reaction medium greatly favours reactivity between the carbon and K₂CO₃, and yet enhances the carbon yields, which are in the 32–38% range. The porous carbons have large specific surface areas, in the 2250–2750 m² g⁻¹ range, and their microporosity can be fine-tuned by adjusting the carbonization temperature. When these carbons are tested as the electrode active material for supercapacitors, they exhibit a high capacitance in aqueous and organic electrolytes. The short diffusion pathways provided by their hierarchical architecture allow an excellent electrochemical response in situations of high power demand.