Carbonized Wood for Supercapacitor Electrodes

Three-dimensional network structures with interconnected micro-channels were formed through the carbonization of three different varieties of wood. Performance of these carbonized woods was tested for their application as supercapacitor electrodes. From charge-discharge cycling in a KOH electrolyte solution, a maximum energy density of similar to 45.6 Wh/kg (discharge current of 200 mA/g) and a maximum power density of similar to 2000 W/kg (discharge current of 4000 mA/g) were obtained. The carbonized wood electrodes exhibited excellent cyclability, with 99.7% of the specific capacitance being retained after 2000 cycles. These remarkable results demonstrate the exciting potential for carbonized wood materials as inexpensive, high performance supercapacitor electrodes. (C) 2014 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.