From interpenetrating polymer networks to hierarchical porous carbons for advanced supercapacitor electrodes

Hierarchical porous carbons (HPCs) are obtained via in-situ activation of interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs) obtained from simultaneous polymerization of resorcinol/formaldehyde (R/F) and polyacrylamide (PAM). The hierarchically micro-, meso- and macroporous structure of as-prepared HPCs is attributed to the synergistic pore-forming effect of PAM and KOH, including PAM decomposition, KOH chemical activation, and a foaming process of potassium polyacrylate formed by partial hydrolysis of PAM in KOH aqueous solution. The typical HPC electrode with the highest surface area (2544 m(2)/g) shows a high specific capacitance of 261 Fig at 1.0 A/g and a superior rate capability of 216 Fig at 20 A/g in alkaline electrolyte. Moreover, the electrode maintains the capacitance retention of 90.8% after 10000 charging-discharging cycles at 1.0 A/g, exhibiting long cycling life. This study highlights a new avenue towards IPNs-derived carbons with unique pore structure for promising electrochemical applications. (C) 2019 Chinese Chemical Society and Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.