Rational design of pyrrolic-N dominated carbon material derived from aminated lignin for Zn-ion supercapacitors

Developing highly efficient, sustainable carbon cathodes is essential for emerging Zn-ion hybrid supercapacitors (ZICs). Herein, lignin's novel chemical modification (amination) has been developed to produce high quantity pyrrolic-N moieties as active sites. Furthermore, chemically modified amine moieties in lignin are vital as a natural self-activating template to generate hierarchical porosity in the 2D (graphene-like) architecture with exceedingly high surface area (2926.4 m2g−1). The rationally introduced dominated pyrrolic-N moieties boost the Zn-ion storage capacity and reaction kinetics due to the dual energy storage mechanism and efficient charge transfer between pyrrolic-N and Zn+2 ions. Furthermore, the pyrrolic-N species are energetically favorable for the adsorption of Zn+2 ions by the formation of N-Zn+2 chemical bonds. Besides, the nitrogen oxides reduce the intrinsic resistance and induce a more polarized surface, resulting in high wettability and efficient transfer of electrolytes into the pores of hydrophobic carbon materials. Subsequently, the chemically modified lignin-derived activated carbon material (Chem-ACM) as a cathode in ZICs delivers a high capacity of 161.2 mA h g−1 at 1 A g−1 with the admirable energy density of 106.7 W h kg−1 at 897 W kg−1 and excellent retention capacity (94%) after 10,000 cycles. Mainly, the assembled quasi solid-state ZICs using Chem-ACM retains the remarkable storage capacity (202 mA h g−1 at 0.2 Ag−1) even at a high bending angle. Notably, the Chem-ACM has been further employed in symmetric supercapacitors as an electrode, and it displays exceptional specific capacitance of 354 Fg−1 at 0.5 Ag−1 with tremendous energy (43.5 W h kg−1) and the power density (0.53 kW kg−1). Additionally, the charge storage capability of Chem-ACM is positively dependent on high nitrogen contents, and it is extrapolated that pyrrolic-N moieties are dominant active sites. Hence, the designed amination-assisted biocarbon synthesis provides a new way to prepare high nitrogen-containing biocarbon for ZICs and further understand pyrrolic-N species' impact on Zn-ion storage.