Functionalized, hierarchical and ordered mesoporous carbons for high-performance supercapacitors

Two new ordered mesoporous carbons (OMCs) exhibiting hierarchical structures were obtained through a nanocasting route from nitrogen and oxygen-containing precursors without any additional activation post-treatment. Combination of properties such as high mesopore volumes, synergetic pseudocapacitive effect of nitrogen and oxygen groups, good wettability, low electrical resistance, low tortuosity of the straight channels and high structural order of the carbon arrangement explains the excellent electrochemical performances of both materials as supercapacitor electrodes. They exhibited excellent rate capability, high specific capacitance (390 F/g at 0.5 mV/s) and good cycling stability (up to 85 %) after 2000 cycles of charge-discharge at 0.5 A/g current density. Moreover, the studied materials, M900 and P900, showed energy densities of 54.6 - 19.6 Wh/Kg and 60.3 – 22.2 Wh/Kg, respectively, under power outputs of 0.54 – 81.3 kW/Kg and 0.71 – 92.5 kW/Kg, which make them excellent candidates in high energy and power density applications.The IJL research team gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the CPER 2007-2013 “Structuration du Pôle de Compétitivité Fibres Grand’Est” (Competitiveness Fibre Cluster), through local (Conseil Général des Vosges), regional (Région Lorraine), national (DRRT and FNADT) and European (FEDER) funds. Part of this work was supported by CHEERS project (FEDER funds). A. Sanchez-Sanchez acknowledges the University of Lorraine and the Region Lorraine for financing her post-Doctoral contract.Peer reviewe