Lithographically defined three-dimensional pore-patterned carbon with nitrogen doping for high-performance ultrathin...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Supercapacitors are crucial for energy storage in mobile and wearable electronics due to their long cycle life and fast charge/discharge rates.
• Integrating ultrathin supercapacitor components, particularly porous electrodes, with semiconductor fabrication processes presents a significant fabrication challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel method for fabricating micrometre-thick, submicrometre-pore-patterned carbon electrodes using lithography.
• To enhance the capacitive properties of these electrodes through nitrogen doping.
• To ensure the structural integrity of the porous patterns during fabrication.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing multi-beam interference lithography to design pore patterns.
• Direct carbonization of a photoresist pattern to create pore-patterned carbon films.
• Implementing a facile doping process to introduce nitrogen atoms into the carbon films.
• Developing a supporting shell strategy to maintain pattern integrity.

Main Results:

• Successfully fabricated nitrogen-doped, pore-patterned carbon electrodes with submicrometre pores.
• Achieved an areal specific capacitance of 32.7 mF/cm(2) at 0.5 mA/cm(2).
• Demonstrated a capacitance approximately 20 times greater than commercially available multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) films under identical conditions.

Conclusions:

• The lithographic fabrication approach is suitable for creating advanced supercapacitor electrodes compatible with electronic device manufacturing.
• Nitrogen doping and the developed supporting shell strategy significantly enhance electrode performance and structural stability.
• This advancement offers a promising pathway for high-performance energy storage in next-generation electronic systems.