The effect of Mo2C derived carbon pore size on the electrical double-layer characteristics in propylene carbonate-based electrolyte

Carbide-derived carbon (CDC) was synthesised from molybdenum carbide by extracting Mo atoms in a high-temperature chlorine atmosphere. A systematic study of the influence of pore size on the electrical double layer (EDL) performance was carried out with carbons synthesised in the temperature interval of 500–900 °C. Strong effect of chlorination conditions on the pore-size distribution was noticed that gives wide possibilities to vary the pore structure of Mo2C derived carbons. An average pore size of carbons varied between 1 nm and 2 nm depending on chlorination temperature. The relationships were established between the pore-size distribution and the electrochemical performance of micro/mesoporous carbons. The EDL characteristics of carbon materials in a propylene carbonate solution of triethylmethylammonium tetrafluoroborate were obtained using the cyclic voltammetry at ΔE of 3.8 V and the constant current methods in a 3-electrode test cell. A novel test method was developed to demonstrate the power characteristics of the electrode materials. The results of this study affirmed the great potential of Mo2C derived carbons, whose EDL capacitance reaches ∼65 F cm−3 and 132 F g−1 and the 20-s discharge power density is 2.1 W cm−3.