Low-tortuosity carbon electrode derived from Wood@ZIF-67 for supercapacitor applications

Constructing a thick electrode with excellent electrochemical performance using carbon materials remains a significant challenge. The crucial factor is that traditional thick electrodes typically result in poor ion transport and conductivity. As a result, a low-tortuous, hierarchically porous, aligned channels, and high-performance thick electrode was constructed without the need for the electrode's additional complex structural design. ZIF-67 increases the number of ion storage sites and pore structure of carbon materials, whereas Co metal improves the degree of graphitization and electrical conductivity of carbon materials during the carbonization process. Carbonized [email protected] (CWZ) with a high specific capacity of 5155.3 mF cm−2 is achieved. Notably, a supercapacitor assembled by CWZ-3 shows an energy density of 101.74 μWh cm−2 and a power density of 5 mW cm−2. The hierarchical pore structure, low tortuosity, high content of N-doping, and convenient ion transport channels all contribute to the material's excellent performance. Density functional theory calculations demonstrate that N-doping carbon materials with nitrogen promote their adsorption and storage capacity for electrolyte ions. The monolithic strategy demonstrated in this work paves the way for the development of lightweight carbon-based thick electrodes for energy storage applications.