Development
of a Synergistic Activation
Strategy for the Pilot-Scale Construction
of Hierarchical Porous Graphitic Carbon for Energy Storage Applications
Pursuing scalable
production of porous carbon with facile and environmentally
friendly synthesis methodology is a global goal. Herein, a unique
hierarchical porous graphitic carbon (HPGC) with outstanding textural
characteristics is achieved by a special synergistic activation mechanism,
in which the low-temperature molten state of polymorphisms can induce
a high-rate liquid phase porous activation. HPGC with high specific
surface area (SSA, ∼2571 m2 g–1) and large pore volume (PV, ∼2.21 cm3 g–1) can be achieved, which also possesses the capability to tune textural
characteristics (i.e., SSA, PV,
pore size distribution, etc.) within a wide range.
Furthermore, the pilot-scale production of HPGC is accomplished, which
shows similar textural characteristics to the lab-scale HPGC. Due
to the unique structure of HPGC and the capability of the textural
control, it can be applicable in a variety of energy storage, energy
conversion, and catalysis applications. The applications of pilot-scale
HPGC products in supercapacitors and lithium sulfur batteries are
highlighted in this work. Furthermore, the synergistic activation
strategy can be promoted to other alkali-based carbon activation routes,
which can open up new possibilities for the activated carbon production
and lead to more widespread industrialized applications of HPGC.