Synthesis of nitrogen-doped graphitic porous carbon and its application for supercapacitor electrodes

Abstract

The present study introduces a facile method to produce nitrogen-doped graphitic porous carbons (NGPCs) with balanced pore size distribution (0.5 - 5 nm) and high surface area (above 3000 $m^2/g^{-1}$) by utilizing polyacrylonitrile (PAN) as a precursor. The NGPCs are obtained by the stabilization of PAN at 290 ℃ and subsequent carbonization with KOH activation at 700 - 800 ℃. It is striking that the activation also changes the morphology of PAN from a grape-like structure to a smooth porous structure accompanying partial layer formations of nitrogen-doped graphene. Generation of evenly distributed micro- and mesopores with high specific surface areas, heteroatom doping on the surface of NGPCs, and low resistance of NGPCs contribute to the enhanced capacitance as supercapacitor electrodes.