Enhanced electrochemical performance of K2CO3-activated porous carbons from chitosan and cellulose for supercapacitor applications

A series of mixed biomass-derived porous carbon materials were successfully synthesized using chitosan and hydroxypropyl cellulose (CSHPC) as precursors through K 2 CO 3 activation. Among the synthesized materials, CSHPC-3–700 demonstrated a superior hierarchical pore structure and abundant nitrogen/oxygen functional groups, exhibiting exceptional electrochemical performance: a high specific capacitance of 371.8 F·g −1 at 1 A·g −1 and an outstanding rate capability (235.2 F·g −1 at 100 A·g −1 ). In symmetric supercapacitors, CSHPC-3–700 achieved a high energy density of 10.17 Wh·kg −1 with 91.3 % capacitance retention after 20,000 cycles, significantly outperforming porous carbons derived from individual chitosan (CS-3–700) or hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC-3–700) precursors. This study provides a viable strategy for developing high-performance supercapacitor electrodes through rational hybridization of biomass precursors.