Three-dimensional porous carbon aerogels from sodium carboxymethyl cellulose/poly(vinyl alcohol) composite for high-performance supercapacitors

Three-dimensional interconnected porous carbon aerogels were successfully prepared by the pyrolysis of sodium carboxymethyl cellulose/poly(vinyl alcohol) composite using borax as a cross-linking agent. After sol-gel, freeze-drying, carbonization and KOH-activation treatments, the as-obtained carbon aerogels exhibited high specific surface areas (SSAs) and excellent electrochemical performance. The optimal sample showed a high SSA of up to 601.4m(2)/g with a total pore volume of 0.38cm(3)/g. The aCA-3 sample exhibited an excellent capacitance of 182.8F/g at a current density of 0.5A/g, within a potential window of -1.0 to 0.0V in a 6M KOH electrolyte solution. In addition, the aCA-3 electrode showed excellent cyclability with 96.2% capacitance retention efficiency at 2A/g current density after 2000 cycles of charge/discharge. These easily prepared, well-structured and high-performance carbon aerogels have significant potential applications in advanced electronic devices and energy storage systems.