Electrical Double-Layer Capacitance of Zeolite-Templated Carbon in Organic Electrolyte

Porous carbon materials have been prepared using chemical vapor deposition of ethylene and acetonitrile on zeolite Y templates with the subsequent removal of the template. The use of zeolite templates enabled tuning of the carbon chemistry, microstructure, and specific surface area while maintaining ordered pores and similar pore-size distribution. Evaluation of the performance of the templated carbons in electrochemical capacitors with tetraethylammonium tetrafluoroborate salt solution in acetonitrile showed a high gravimetric capacitance of up to 146 F/g and a short time constant of up to 3 s, indicating fast charge/discharge capability. Nitrogen doping limited the capacitor performance at high current densities without enhancing the energy-storage characteristics at low current densities. Specific capacitance at a constant pore size was found to linearly depend on the surface area, suggesting a potential for further improvements. Carbons produced by zeolite-templating method are promising for use in high-energy, high-power electrochemical capacitors employing organic electrolytes.