Analysis of graphene-like activated carbon derived from rice straw for application in supercapacitor

Activated carbons with large surface area, abundant microporosity and low cost are the most commonly used electrode materials for energy storage devices. However, activated carbons are conventionally made from fossil precursors, such as coal and petroleum, which are limited resources and easily aggregate large block in high temperature carbonization processes. In this novel work, we examined the use of rice straw as a potential alternative carbon source precursor for the production of graphene-like active carbon. A very slack activated carbon with ultra-thin two-dimensional (2D) layer structure was prepared by our proposed approach in this work, which includes a pre-treatment process and potassium hydroxide activation at high temperatures. The obtained active carbon derived from rice straw exhibited a capacitance of 255 F/g at 0.5 A/g, excellent rate capability, and long cycling capability (98% after 10,000 cycles). (C) 2017 Chinese Chemical Society and Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.