Albumen‐Based Foam Protein Porous Carbon for Supercapacitor Applications

Abstract

AbstractA multistage pore‐structured porous carbon (AFPC) was created by employing protein as a widely available carbon source and a simple pretreatment, carbonization, and KOH activation procedure. Based on the physical denaturation of protein, foam protein porous carbon with self‐doped nitrogen from the biomass was successfully created by adding air to the protein precursor. The AFPC‐600 exhibited a BET surface area of 443.52 m2 g−1 and an average pore diameter of 35 nm. The material demonstrated a high electrical capacitance of 798.5 F g−1 at a current density of 1 A g−1 in a three‐electrode system test, with 86 % capacitance retention after 4000 charge‐discharge cycles. This paper highlights the promise of improved porous carbon materials, taking advantage of the special qualities of abundant biomass found in nature, for energy storage.