Supercapacitor electrodes from new ordered porous carbon materials obtained by a templating procedure

Interesting carbon materials with a highly ordered porous structure, including micro- and mesopores, were successfully prepared by a templating procedure using an organized mesoporous silica (type MCM-48) as template and various carbon precursors (propylene, sucrose or pitch). The carbon material is obtained by introducing the carbon precursor by means of two different routes (liquid or gas) into the porous structure of the silica matrix. After the removal of silica by acid treatment, a carbon material with an organized porosity and porous characteristics defined mainly by the nature of the carbon precursor is recovered. The as-synthesized carbon exhibits an interesting electrochemical double-layer capacitance behavior due to its original and particular nanostructure and especially its regular interconnected nanoporosity. The performance of the supercapacitors was investigated in acidic, alkaline and organic electrolytic solutions. High values of capacitance in aqueous and organic media were obtained. The cyclic voltammograms display a rectangular shape over a wide range of scan rates indicating a quick charge propagation. The possibility to synthesize well-tailored nanostructured carbon materials is of prime importance to further forecast the optimal porous characteristics of an electrode material used for capacitor applications.