Porous Carbon from Hyper-cross-linked Polymers: A Cost-Effective Approach for Supercapacitors

The increasing demand for energy has accelerated the development of advanced materials, particularly porous carbon materials, for energy storage and conversion. Supercapacitors (SCs) have garnered significant attention in recent years due to their high energy storage capacity and rapid charge-discharge cycles. Among various porous materials, hyper-cross-linked polymers (HCPs) have emerged as promising precursors for carbon materials due to their tunable porosity, diverse chemical synthesis routes, and compatibility with various activation and composite-forming processes involving metals or metal oxides. Carbon materials derived from HCPs have demonstrated enhanced electrochemical double-layer properties, long-term cycling stability, and high-rate performance when fabricated by using optimized processing techniques. However, comprehensive reviews focusing on HCP-based carbon materials for SC applications remain limited. Therefore, this Review systematically examines the synthesis strategies for HCPs, the fabrication approaches for carbon and composite materials, and their electrochemical performance in SCs. Furthermore, a categorized comparison of the resulting materials' performance is provided. Lastly, a perspective is presented on both the fabrication processes and the performance optimization of SCs. This Review aims to inspire researchers to explore advanced carbon preparation methods using HCP materials and to develop effective strategies for improving SCs' performance.