ZIF-derived porous carbon: a promising supercapacitor electrode material

A series of ZIF-derived porous carbon materials are prepared via co-carbonization of ZIF-7 and additional carbon sources, such as glucose, ethylene glycol, glycerol and furfuryl alcohol. Results indicate that ZIF-7/glucose composite-derived Carbon-L-950 as an electrode for the electrochemical capacitor exhibits a high specific capacitance of 228 F g−1 in 6 M KOH at a current density of 0.1 A g−1, even 178 F g−1 at a high current of 10 A g−1 and good stability over 5000 cycles. Moreover, the conductive agent (like acetylene black) is not required in the preparation process of the working electrode, which not only lowers the preparation costs but also is favorable for stability and performance. This facile fabrication of ZIF-derived porous carbon materials may open up a new avenue for producing a new family of porous carbon materials for advanced energy storage devices, such as fuel cells, supercapacitors and lithium batteries.