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Effect of precursor structure on the pore structure and capacitance properties of porous carbons prepared by zinc chloride activation

  • Carbon Letters
  • Abbr : Carbon Lett.
  • 2025, 35(6), pp.2765~2773
  • DOI : 10.1007/s42823-025-00953-z
  • Publisher : Korean Carbon Society
  • Research Area : Natural Science > Natural Science General > Other Natural Sciences General
  • Received : May 11, 2025
  • Accepted : July 20, 2025
  • Published : December 11, 2025

Liu Guishan 1 Huang Tao 1 Li Hai 1 Zu Xihong 1 Sun Yingjuan 1 Zhang Wenli 1

1Guangdong University of Technology (GDUT)

Accredited

ABSTRACT

The ZnCl2 chemical activation method is widely employed for the preparation of biomass-derived porous carbons. In most of the related studies, the emphasis lies on investigating how experimental preparation conditions impact the performance of the final products. However, the performance of the porous carbon also depends on the chemical structure of the carbon source. In this study, we used alkali lignin, ammoxidized lignin and sodium lignosulfonate as carbon sources to prepare porous carbon through ZnCl2 activation. The influence of the chemical structures of lignin on the activation process is explored. The porous carbons prepared from alkali lignin (ALC) and ammoxidized lignin (AOLC) both exhibit similar and relatively high specific surface areas (ALC: 1164 m2 g−1, AOLC: 1156 m2 g−1) and capacitance contribution ratios (ALC: 80.6%, AOLC: 79.4%). The porous carbon prepared from sodium lignosulfonate has a specific surface area of 890 m2 g−1 and a mesopore ratio of 26.1%, with the capacitance contribution accounting for only 75.1%. ZnS and NaCl generated during the activation process involving sodium lignosulfonate can partially enable mesopores by template effect, which in turn results in lower electrochemical properties. This study explores the reasons for the differences in ZnCl2 activation on different lignins, providing data to support research on the mechanism of how lignin structure influences ZnCl2 activation.

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