Synthesis of ultrathin nitrogen-doped graphitic carbon nanocages as advanced electrode materials for supercapacitor

Synthesis of nitrogen-doped carbons with large surface area, high conductivity, and suitable pore size distribution is highly desirable for high-performance supercapacitor applications. Here, we report a novel protocol for template synthesis of ultrathin nitrogen-doped graphitic carbon nanocages (CNCs) derived from polyaniline (PANI) and their excellent capacitive properties. The synthesis of CNCs involves one-pot hydrothermal synthesis of Mn3O4@PANI core-shell nanoparticles, carbonization to produce carbon coated MnO nanoparticles, and then removal of the MnO cores by acidic treatment. The CNCs prepared at an optimum carbonization temperature of 800 °C (CNCs-800) have regular frameworks, moderate graphitization, high specific surface area, good mesoporosity, and appropriate N doping. The CNCs-800 show high specific capacitance (248 F g(-1) at 1.0 A g(-1)), excellent rate capability (88% and 76% capacitance retention at 10 and 100 A g(-1), respectively), and outstanding cycling stability (~95% capacitance retention after 5000 cycles) in 6 M KOH aqueous solution. The CNCs-800 can also exhibit great pseudocapacitance in 0.5 M H2SO4 aqueous solution besides the large electrochemical double-layer capacitance. The excellent capacitance performance coupled with the facile synthesis of ultrathin nitrogen-doped graphitic CNCs indicates their great application potential in supercapacitors.