Nanoarchitectonics of nitrogen-doped porous carbon derived from leather wastes for solid-state supercapacitor

Leather solid wastes not only endanger the environment, but also lead to a significant waste of biomass resources. The efficient utilization of leather solid wastes is imminent. Herein, the nitrogen-doped porous carbon is successfully prepared through a two-step method (carbonization and KOH activation) using vegetable-tanned leather shavings as the precursor. The pore structure and the nitrogen content of the products are effectively regulated by changing activation conditions. Benefitting from large specific surface area and high nitrogen content, the nitrogen-doped porous carbon is employed as the electrode material for supercapacitor, which delivers high specific capacitance of 421 F/g at 1.0 A/g and excellent cycling stability. The assembled solid-state supercapacitor with the porous carbon electrodes displays an energy density of 12.2 Wh/kg and high capacitance retention of 83% after 5000 cycles.