Preparation and its electrochemical properties of enzymatically hydrolyzed wood-based hierarchical porous carbon

Objective To extend the application of porous biomass carbon materials, the study used enzymatic hydrolysis technology to regulate the hierarchical porous structure of wood carbon, and prepared carbon materials with excellent electrochemical properties.

Method Basswood was subjected to enzymatic hydrolysis using sodium chlorite and cellulase, followed by the preparation of hierarchical porous carbon materials through high-temperature carbonization. By characterizing the micromorphology, specific surface area, pore structure, degree of graphitization, surface elements and functional groups of the hierarchical porous carbon, the effects of cellulase dosage and enzymatic hydrolysis time on microstructure and electrochemical performance were elucidated.

Result After enzymatic hydrolysis, the interior of basswood exhibited rich microporous/mesoporous structures, forming a hierarchical porous structure. The porosity and specific surface area of the porous carbon significantly increased with higher cellulase amounts and longer enzymatic hydrolysis times, accompanied by an increase in disorder. Notably, at a cellulase dosage of 200 mg and an enzymatic hydrolysis duration of 48 h, the specific surface area reached 978.925 m²/g, with an average pore diameter of 2.285 nm. At a current density of 0.1 A/g, the mass-specific capacitance was found to be 300.8 F/g, and the equivalent series resistance was 0.47 Ω.

Conclusion The enzymatically hydrolyzed wood-based hierarchical porous carbon materials produced in this study exhibit excellent electrochemical properties, and their hierarchical pore structure and high-rate performance suggest considerable potential for various applications.