Biomass-derived flexible porous carbon materials and their applications in supercapacitor and gas adsorption

In this work, biomass-related fabrics (cotton, cotton-flax, and flax fabrics) were used as precursors to synthesize a series of flexible porous carbon materials through simple carbonization at different temperatures. The porosities of these materials were then studied in detail. Physicochemical and texture properties, such as morphology, elemental composition, degree of structural order, and functional group, were also comprehensively characterized to supply basic information with regard to the utilization of these materials. Furthermore, flexible heteroatom-doped porous carbon materials were obtained through a dipping and drying process. Given that these biomass-derived carbon materials are flexible and porous, the applications of these materials as flexible and free-standing electrodes in supercapacitors and gas adsorbents were investigated.