Nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbon derived from biopolymer as electrode material for supercapacitors

Nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbons were prepared using a biopolymer, gelatin as precursor by nano-CaCO3 template method. Although the surface area of the carbon obtained at 800 °C is only 666 m2 g−1, the existence of abundant nitrogen-containing functional groups with a nitrogen content of 10.72 wt% makes the carbon has a relative high capacitance of 198 F g−1 in 6 mol L−1 KOH aqueous electrolytes. The developed mesoporous structure endows the carbon with good rate capability, and the capacitance can remain 135 F g−1 even when the current density increases to 20 A g−1. The carbon also possesses excellent cycle durability, indicating an attractive electrode material for supercapacitors.