Hierarchical Lotus-Seedpod-Derived Porous Activated Carbon Encapsulated with NiCo₂S₄ for a High-Performance All-Solid-State Asymmetric Supercapacitor

Abstract

Converting biowaste into carbon-based supercapacitor materials provides a new solution for high-performance and environmentally friendly energy storage applications. Herein, the hierarchical PAC/NiCo2S4 composite structure was fabricated through the combination of activation and sulfuration treatments. The PAC/NiCo2S4 electrode garnered advantages from its hierarchical structure and hollow architecture, resulting in a notable specific capacitance (1217.2 F g−1 at 1.25 A g−1) and superior cycling stability. Moreover, a novel all-solid-state asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) was successfully constructed, utilizing PAC/NiCo2S4 as the cathode and PAC as the anode. The resultant device exhibited exceptionally high energy (49.7 Wh kg−1) and power density (4785.5 W kg−1), indicating the potential of this biomass-derived, hierarchical PAC/NiCo2S4 composite structure for employment in high-performance supercapacitors.

Keywords

• all-solid-state asymmetric supercapacitor
• lotus seedpod
• porous activated carbon
• hierarchical structure
• NiCo₂S₄