Boosting supercapacitor performance with high-specific surface area porous carbon derived from sugarcane bagasse

Porous carbon materials with an ultra-large specific surface area were synthesized from sugarcane bagasse using a wet mixing process. Initially, the waste sugarcane bagasse underwent pre‑carbonization at 550 °C, resulting in a carbonized material (PC). This PC was then mixed with the activator KOH and subjected to high-temperature activation to produce the porous carbon material. The morphology and structure of the porous carbon were effectively modified by varying the mass ratio of PC to KOH and the mixing method (dry or wet). The electrochemical performance of the synthesized materials was analyzed, revealing that the material produced with a 1:3 mass ratio of PC to KOH using the wet mixing method (WBC-3) exhibited a well-developed pore structure and a specific surface area of 3549.6 m 2 /g. When employed as an electrode material, WBC-3 demonstrated exceptional performance, achieving a specific capacitance of 370 F/g at a current density of 0.5 A/g. The assembled device attained energy densities of 8.3 Wh/kg in 6 M KOH and 16.4 Wh/kg in 1 M Na 2 SO 4 , respectively. Moreover, it exhibited remarkable cyclic stability, retaining 95.3 % of its initial specific capacitance after 8000 charge-discharge cycles at a current density of 10 A/g. • The porous carbon has a specific surface area of 3549.6 m 2 /g. • The porous carbon electrode exhibits excellent pore structure and electrochemical properties, high specific capacity and good cycling stability.