KOH-Activated Hierarchical Porous Carbon Derived from Suaeda salsa for Supercapacitor Electrodes: Pore-Structure Evolution and Electrochemical Behavior
- 1School of Chemical Engineering, Ocean and Life Sciences, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
Abstract
The increasing demand for sustainable electrochemical energy-storage materials has stimulated considerable interest in biomass-derived porous carbons. In this study, hierarchical porous carbon was prepared from Suaeda salsa, a renewable halophytic biomass, through thermal pretreatment, carbonization, and KOH activation. The effects of thermal treatment and KOH activation on the pore structure, morphology, surface characteristics, and electrochemical behavior of the resulting carbons were systematically investigated. The results demonstrate that moderate KOH activation substantially opens the carbon framework and promotes the development of accessible porosity while retaining a finite meso/macro-pore network that can facilitate electrolyte transport. Among the investigated conditions, the intermediate activation level provided the most favorable balance between micropore generation, transport accessibility, and framework preservation, leading to the best electrochemical response. The combined structural and electrochemical analyses establish a clear processing–pore structure–property relationship and indicate that electrochemical performance cannot be optimized simply by increasing activation severity. Instead, rational control of hierarchical porosity is important for achieving effective charge storage and ion transport in biomass-derived carbon electrodes. The study provides a sustainable route for converting coastal halophytic biomass into functional porous carbon materials for electrochemical energy-storage applications.
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BibTeX
@article{zhao2026kohactivated,
title = {{KOH-Activated Hierarchical Porous Carbon Derived from Suaeda salsa for Supercapacitor Electrodes: Pore-Structure Evolution and Electrochemical Behavior}},
author = {Yihan Zhao and Puyu Chen and Antong Ren and Zhuofan Wu and Hao Zhou and Xu Zhao and Xiaojing Yang},
journal = {Nanomaterials},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.3390/nano16211412},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/16/21/1412},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - KOH-Activated Hierarchical Porous Carbon Derived from Suaeda salsa for Supercapacitor Electrodes: Pore-Structure Evolution and Electrochemical Behavior
AU - Yihan Zhao
AU - Puyu Chen
AU - Antong Ren
AU - Zhuofan Wu
AU - Hao Zhou
AU - Xu Zhao
AU - Xiaojing Yang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/03
JO - Nanomaterials
DO - 10.3390/nano16211412
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/16/21/1412
AB - The increasing demand for sustainable electrochemical energy-storage materials has stimulated considerable interest in biomass-derived porous carbons. In this study, hierarchical porous carbon was prepared from Suaeda salsa, a renewable halophytic biomass, through thermal pretreatment, carbonization, and KOH activation. The effects of thermal treatment and KOH activation on the pore structure, morphology, surface characteristics, and electrochemical behavior of the resulting carbons were systematically investigated. The results demonstrate that moderate KOH activation substantially opens the carbon framework and promotes the development of accessible porosity while retaining a finite meso/macro-pore network that can facilitate electrolyte transport. Among the investigated conditions, the intermediate activation level provided the most favorable balance between micropore generation, transport accessibility, and framework preservation, leading to the best electrochemical response. The combined structural and electrochemical analyses establish a clear processing–pore structure–property relationship and indicate that electrochemical performance cannot be optimized simply by increasing activation severity. Instead, rational control of hierarchical porosity is important for achieving effective charge storage and ion transport in biomass-derived carbon electrodes. The study provides a sustainable route for converting coastal halophytic biomass into functional porous carbon materials for electrochemical energy-storage applications.
SN - 2079-4991
ER -