Reasonable Construction of Hollow Carbon Spheres with an Adjustable Shell Surface for Supercapacitors

Hollow carbon spheres (HCS) manifest specific merit in achieving large interior void space, high permeability, wide contactable area, and strong stacking ability with negligible aggregation and have attracted attention due to their high supercapacitor activity. As the key factor affecting supercapacitor performance, the surface chemical properties, shell thickness, roughness, and pore volumes of HCS are the focus of research in this field. Herein, the surface chemical properties and structures of HCS are simultaneously adjusted by a feasible and simple process of in situ activation during assembly of resin and potassium chloride (KCl). This strategy involves KCl participating in resin polymerization and the superior performance of potassium species on activating carbon. The surface N/O content, thickness, defects, and roughness degree of HCS can be controlled by adjusting the dosage of KCl. Electrochemical tests show that optimized HCS has suitable roughness, high surface area, and abundant surface N/O functional groups, which endow it with excellent electrochemical capacitance properties, showing its high potential in supercapacitors.

Automated summary

This study simultaneously adjusted the surface chemical properties and structures of hollow carbon spheres (HCS) during the assembly process of resin and potassium chloride (KCl). By controlling the dosage of KCl, the surface N/O content, thickness, defects, and roughness degree of HCS were controlled, resulting in HCS with excellent electrochemical capacitance properties.