Recent progress and challenges in coal-derived porous carbon for supercapacitor applications

Large-scale consumption of renewable energy (RE) is the driving force underpinning the sustainable development of the world. However, the intermittence and randomness of its working mode leads to low energy density and high dispersion. The collaborative model of “power generation coupled with energy storage” is the main way to achieve a safe and stable supply of RE. Supercapacitor have both high energy density of secondary batteries and large power density of conventional capacitors, making up for the shortcomings of two energy storage devices, which can be used as advanced energy storage devices for RE. Electrode materials determine the comprehensive performance of supercapacitor. Porous carbon in carbonaceous materials presents rich pore structure, stable physicochemical characteristics, low price and easy industrial promotion, which is the goal pursued of human science. Coal is high in reserve and carbon content, and low cost. Preparation of functional nano carbon electrode materials from coal is expected to solve the problem of low investment and large scale manufacture. The review focus on the latest research of coal-derived porous carbon, with special attention to synthesis methods, regulation strategies, and structural optimization. The efficient application of coal-derived porous carbon for supercapacitor is discussed and further research challenges are proposed.