Facile Fabrication of a Highly Porous N-Doped Nanotubular Carbon Aerogel by an In Situ Template-Growth Method for High-Performance Supercapacitors

A nitrogen-doped nanotubular carbon (N-NTC) aerogel with high porosity was synthesized via a simple in situ template-growth approach using melamine-cyanuric acid (MCA) supramolecular aggregates as the template-forming agent and nitrogen source for high-performance supercapacitors (SCs). MCA/carbon (MCA/C) aerogel was first synthesized through in situ reassembly of MCA to form a rodlike template and polymerization of glucose at the periphery of the MCA template under hydrothermal conditions, and then, the N-NTC aerogel with high N-doping and high porosity was obtained by subsequent pyrolysis of MCA/C and decomposition of MCA. The as-prepared N-NTC aerogel presented a unique one-dimensional structure with a high N content, superhigh specific surface area, large internal diameter, and uniform wall thickness. The formation mechanism of the NNTC aerogel was analyzed systematically, and the morphology, structure, and chemical properties of the resultant N-NTC aerogel were fully investigated at different carbonization temperatures. As the electrode material of SCs, the N-NTC aerogel obtained at 900 degrees C carbonization and delivered a superior specific capacitance of 563 F g(-1) at 1 A g(-1). The corresponding symmetric SC device exhibited a high energy density of 21 Wh kg(-1) at a power density of 1217 W kg(-1). This method is also applicable to the synthesis of many other carbohydrate-based N-NTC aerogels.

Automated summary

A nitrogen-doped nanotubular carbon aerogel with high porosity was synthesized through a simple in situ template-growth approach using melamine-cyanuric acid supramolecular aggregates. It showed a unique one-dimensional structure with high N content, superhigh specific surface area, large internal diameter, and uniform wall thickness. The aerogel exhibited a superior specific capacitance of 563 F g(-1) at 1 A g(-1) and a high energy density of 21 Wh kg(-1) at a power density of 1217 W kg(-1) as an electrode material for supercapacitors.