Boosting Energy Storage Capability of Nitrogen-Doped Hierarchically Porous Carbon by Graphitization

The construction of excellent electrochemical double-layer capacitors (EDLCs) with high energy density is prospective but still challenging. Herein, a combined strategy of self-template pyrolysis, KOH activation, and iron-catalytic graphitization is developed to synthesize nitrogen-doped hierarchically porous partially graphitic carbon (NHPGC) as electrodes material of EDLCs. The obtained NHPGC presents specific features: containing nitrogen element, hierarchically porous structure with a large surface area (2662 m(2) g(-1)), and graphitic structure. Attributed to the advanced design, the assembled NHPGC//NHPGC supercapacitor shows superior ion transport ability and remarkable cycle long life (96.9% retention after 20 000 cycles). The present strategy for nitrogen-doped hierarchically porous partially graphitic carbon can be extended to apply for other high-performance energy storage applications.