Boron and nitrogen co-doped porous carbons synthesized from polybenzoxazines for high-performance supercapacitors

Abstract

Boron and nitrogen co-doped porous carbons (BNPC-X) were synthesized from boron-containing polybenzoxazines through carbonization and chemical activation, where X represents the weight ratio of boric acid to benzoxazine resin. The as-prepared BNPC-X were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, element analysis and electrochemical measurements. The results show that the BNPC-0.15 possesses relatively high weight fractions of boron (2.97 wt %) and nitrogen (2.43 wt %), a homogeneous pore distribution, and remarkable electrochemical capacitive performance. It exhibits high specific capacitance (286 F g-1 at 0.05 A g-1) excellent rate capability (at A g-1) and good charge-discharge stability (>92% capacitance retention after 1,000 cycles at 1.0 A g-1) in 6 M KOH aqueous solution.