Porous carbon@MnO2 and nitrogen-doped porous carbon from carbonized loofah sponge for asymmetric supercapacitor with high energy and power density

• A simple thermal treatment method for the formation of porous carbon from loofah sponge
• An asymmetric supercapacitor depends on the porous carbon@MnO2 and N-doped porous carbon.
• The working voltage of asymmetric device reaches 1.8 V and exhibits excellent electrochemical performance.

The development and utilization of biomass materials for high-performance energy storage electrode materials that meet the urgent need for green and sustainable development strategies are required. In this study, we developed a simple thermal treatment method for the formation of porous carbon (PC) from loofah sponge. An asymmetric supercapacitor was then assembled depending on the loofah sponge-derived PC@MnO2 and N-doped PC, providing high energy and power density than MnO2. The working voltage of the designed asymmetric device could reach 1.8 V and exhibited excellent performance such as a high capacitance of 78.2 F g− 1 at a current density of 1 A g− 1 in 1.0 M Na2SO4 aqueous electrolyte, a relatively high energy density of 34.7 Wh kg− 1 and power density 26.8 kW kg− 1. In addition, the device exhibited good electrochemical stability, with approximately 91.2% retention of initial specific capacitance after 2000 cycles. The asymmetric supercapacitor represents an exciting direction for enhancing the electrochemical performance of supercapacitors and designing next-generation high-performance energy storage devices.

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