Activated carbon for supercapacitor electrodes with an aqueous electrolyte

Activated carbons on the basis of wood are obtained; the carbons are characterized by the optimal characteristics necessary to apply in supercapacitors with a sulfuric acid–based electrolyte. The properties of activated carbon including detailed study of the porous structure by the limited evaporation technique, as well as their electrochemical parameters in the supercapacitor structure, were investigated comprehensively. For material synthesis, correlations between the regime factors, the porous structure, and the functional characteristics of the supercapacitors on that basis were found. Suppositions concerning the peculiarities of formation of the porous structure of activated carbons obtained by the thermochemical synthesis method with use of an alkali as the activator, as well as the influence of the synthesis parameters on the electrochemical characteristics of the supercapacitors, were proposed.