Porous carbons prepared by direct carbonization of MOFs for supercapacitors

Abstract Three porous carbons were prepared by direct carbonization of HKUST-1, MOF-5 and Al-PCP without additional carbon precursors. The carbon samples obtained by carbonization at 1073 K were characterized by XRD, TEM and N2 physisorption techniques followed by testing for electrochemical performance. The BET surface areas of the three carbons were in the range of 50–1103 m2/g. As electrode materials for supercapacitor, the MOF-5 and Al-PCP derived carbons displayed the ideal capacitor behavior, whereas the HKUST-1 derived carbon showed poor capacitive behavior at various sweep rates and current densities. Among those carbon samples, Al-PCP derived carbons exhibited highest specific capacitance (232.8 F/g) in 30% KOH solution at the current density of 100 mA/g.