The ability to tailor surface area, porosity, and morphologies has driven extensive research into the synthesis of metal-organic frameworks derived carbons and their applications in energy storage. This study presents the development of three-dimensional hierarchically porous carbon derived from polystyrene and small-sized zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) particles. Incorporating nanometer-sized ZIF-8 particles forms a core-shell structure in the pre-carbonization stage, transforming into a porous carbon material with a range of pores from micro to macropores after carbonization. The carbonized material's electrode demonstrates a high capacitance of 428.8 F g-1 at 1 mV s-1 in the three-electrode setup and a very high specific energy of 48.75 Wh kg-1 at 50 mA g-1 in the packed flat cell configuration. This exceptional electrochemical performance is attributed to the composite carbon material's high surface area, well-developed pore structure, and self-doped nitrogen content.
Keywords: electrochemical capacitor, mesoporous material, performance, energy storage, electrodes.
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