3-D hierarchical porous carbon from oxidized lignin by one-step activation for high-performance supercapacitor

Abstract To convert lignin into high-valued carbon materials and understand the lignin structure function, oxidized lignin, a by-product from lignocellulose PHP-pretreatment (phosphoric acid plus hydrogen peroxide), was carbonized by one-step KOH-activation; the physico-chemical characteristics and electrochemical performances of the harvested carbons were also investigated. Results indicated the resultant carbons displayed 3-dimensional hierarchical porous morphology with maximum specific surface area of 3094 m2 g−1 and pore volume of 1.72 cm3 g−1 using 3:1 KOH/lignin ratio for carbonization. Three-electrode determination achieved a specific capacitance of 352.9 F g−1 at a current of 0.5 A g−1, suggesting a superior rate performance of this carbon. Two-electrode determination obtained an excellent energy density of 9.5 W h kg−1 at power density of 25.0 W kg−1. Moreover, 5000 cycles of charge/discharge reached 88.46% retention at 5 A g−1, implying an outstanding cycle stability. Basically, low molecular weight and abundant oxygen-containing functional groups of employed lignin mainly related to the excellent porous morphology and the outstanding electrochemical performances, suggesting the oxidized lignin was an ideal precursor to facilely prepare activated carbon for high-performance supercapacitor. Overall, this work provides a new path to valorize lignin by-product derived from oxidative pretreatment techniques, which can further promote the integrality of lignocellulose biorefinery.