Performance of MgO-templated mesoporous carbons as electrode materials in lithium-ion capacitor

MgO-templated mesoporous carbons with different heat treatments are examined as both negative and positive electrodes in lithium-ion capacitors. MgO-templated carbon heated at 2200 °C has a specific surface area of 800 m2/g and a total pore volume of 1.2 cm3/g, and shows superior performance as a negative electrode of a Li-ion capacitor when compared to artificial graphite. MgO-templated carbon heated at 1000 °C shows a larger capacitance as a positive electrode than commercial activated carbons for an electric double layer capacitor. This unique performance of MgO-template carbons is attributed to a combination of both high surface area and a highly uniform mesoporosity with a narrow pore size distribution.