Monolithic porous carbon derived from polyvinyl alcohol for electrochemical double layer capacitors

Abstract Monolithic porous carbon (MPC) materials are fabricated through a facile hydrotherm- carbonization method by employing tin oxide as porogen and polyvinyl alcohol as carbon precursor. In addition, the effects of preparation conditions on the samples⿿ specific surface area (SSA) and pore size have been investigated in detail. The MPCs exhibit a fairly large SSA of about 674.15⿿1176.21 m 2  g ⿿1 and a pore volume of about 0.43⿿0.71 cm 3  g ⿿1 according to the preparing conditions. As electrodes for electrochemical capacitors, the as-prepared optimum MCP exhibits a relatively high specific capacitance of about 225 F g ⿿1 together with remarkable high-rate capability and long-term cycling stability owing to its large SSA and the oxygen-containing groups on the surface. The fairly good capacitive performances of the prepared MCPs can be mainly attributed to their relatively large SSA and uniform pore distribution which can maximize the ion accumulation on the electrode surface and facilitate efficient electron and ion transportation. This easy method for MPCs with uniform porous structure will provide a promising opportunity to prepare high-performance electrode materials for energy storage.