An ordered mesoporous carbon nanosphere-encapsulated graphene network with optimized nitrogen doping for enhanced...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Graphene nanosheet aggregation and low conductivity of ordered mesoporous carbon hinder supercapacitor performance.
• Developing strategies for simultaneous improvement of these properties is crucial for practical energy storage.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a simple strategy for preparing a nitrogen-doped ordered mesoporous carbon nanosphere-encapsulated graphene network (N-OMCN@GN).
• To overcome graphene aggregation and enhance the conductivity of ordered mesoporous carbon for supercapacitor applications.

Main Methods:

• Ethanol dispersive mixing followed by co-carbonization.
• Preparation of N-doped ordered mesoporous carbon nanosphere-encapsulated graphene network (N-OMCN@GN).
• Characterization of material properties and electrochemical performance.

Main Results:

• Achieved an optimized nitrogen doping level of up to 11.7 at% in N-OMCN@GN.
• The N-OMCN@GN exhibited hierarchically porous architectures, facilitating fast ion and electron transfer.
• Supercapacitor demonstrated a high specific capacitance of 242.3 F g-1 at 1 A g-1 and 95% capacitance retention after 10,000 cycles at 5 A g-1.

Conclusions:

• The developed N-OMCN@GN material effectively addresses graphene aggregation and enhances conductivity for supercapacitors.
• The synergistic effects between graphene and ordered mesoporous carbon are beneficial for energy storage.
• This strategy offers a promising pathway for developing high-performance supercapacitors.