New High-Yield Method for the Production of Activated Carbon Via Hydrothermal Carbonization (HTC) Processing of Carbohydrates

Activated carbons (ACs) are considered important electrode materials for supercapacitors because their large specific surface areas lead to high charging capacities. In the conventional synthesis of ACs, a substantial amount of carbon is lost during carbonization of a precursor. The development of a method to synthesize ACs in high yield would lower their manufacturing cost. Here, we demonstrate the synthesis of high-specific-surface-area NaOH-AC from carbon prepared via a hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) route, with a higher yield than that achieved through conventional pyrolysis carbonization. The amorphous carbon was derived from HTC of sugar and subsequently activated at 800℃ with various NaOH etchant/C ratios under a N₂ atmosphere. The AC prepared at 4:1 NaOH/C exhibited the highest surface area (as high as 2,918 ㎡ g^-1) and the highest specific capacitance (157 F g^-1 in 1 M aqueous Na₂SO₄ electrolyte solution) among the NaOH-AC samples prepared in this work. On the basis of their high specific capacitance, the NaOH-ACs prepared from HTC sugar are suitable for use as electrode materials for supercapacitors.