Abstract
In this work, activated carbons (ACs) with high porosity are synthesized from polystyrene-based ion exchange resin (PIR) by potassium hydroxide (KOH) chemical activation, and the influence of the KOH-to-PIR ratio on the porosity of the ACs and electrochemical characteristics is investigated. As a result, PIR is successfully converted into ACs with well-developed micro and mesopores. The specific surface areas and pore volumes are increased with an increase in the KOH-to-PIR ratio. Furthermore, it is found that increasing the amount of KOH led to a transformation of the micropores into meso- and macropores. The electrochemical performance of the PIR-based ACs is enhanced by high specific surface area and oxygen functional groups. In the application to electric double-layer capacitors (EDLCs), the PIR-based AC with a KOH-to-PIR ratio of 4 (PIR-4) has the highest specific capacitance (258 F g -1) and shows excellent electrochemical stability. Thus, it is thought that the PIR-based ACs are suitable electrode materials for EDLCs.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1039-1044 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Current Applied Physics |
| Volume | 12 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jul 2012 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Activated carbon
- Electric double-layer capacitor
- Polystyrene-based ion exchangeable resin
- Porosity