Carbonized Wood for Supercapacitor Electrodes

Three-dimensional network structures with interconnected micro-channels were formed through the carbonization of three different varieties of wood. Performance of these carbonized woods was tested for their application as supercapacitor electrodes. From charge-discharge cycling in a KOH electrolyte solution, a maximum energy density of ∼45.6 Wh/kg (discharge current of 200 mA/g) and a maximum power density of ∼2000 W/kg (discharge current of 4000 mA/g) were obtained. The carbonized wood electrodes exhibited excellent cyclability, with 99.7% of the specific capacitance being retained after 2000 cycles. These remarkable results demonstrate the exciting potential for carbonized wood materials as inexpensive, high performance supercapacitor electrodes.