Structural changes and electrochemical properties of lacquer wood activated carbon prepared by phosphoric acid-chemical activation for supercapacitor applications

Lacquer wood (LW) goes through one-step and two-step H3PO4 activation process to prepare activated carbons (ACs) at different temperature, and its performance was evaluated by testing CV, EIS, GCD and cycling respect to an electrode material in supercapacitors. The performance of lacquer wood activated carbon prepared by different activation methods and temperature (300, 400, 500, 600, 700, and 800 °C) was studied, and the influence on its electrochemical properties provides valuable guidance for the high-efficient energy utilization of lacquer wood. The results showed that the AC generated via one-step activation process at 400 °C demonstrate excellent specific surface area (SBET 1609.09 m2/g) than those from two-step activation method. Besides, the biomass-derived ACs presented overall better electrochemistry characteristic than those from charcoal-derived ACs. The largest specific capacitance (354 F/g) was obtained in the ACs-based electrodes which was generated from one-step activation process (activated at 600 °C). After 10000 cycles, its capacity retention reached 95.3%, which provides a meaningful guidance into the application of energy storage supercapacitors. This study proves that the LW derived ACs are promising electrodes of the high-performance supercapacitors, which is beneficial for value-added and industrial supercapacitors application of lacquer wood ACs.