Supercapacitors, also known as electrochemical capacitors, are widely recognized as high-power energy storage devices with long cycle life, fast charging and discharging, and high stability. As the core electrode material, activated carbon dominates the supercapacitor market due to its high specific surface area, developed pore structure, good electrical conductivity, chemical stability, and cost-effectiveness.
The energy storage mechanism of supercapacitors mainly relies on the electrical double-layer effect formed at the interface between electrode and electrolyte. Activated carbon provides abundant active sites and large surface area for ion adsorption and desorption, which directly determines the capacitance performance of the device. The pore structure of activated carbon can be precisely adjusted to match different electrolyte ions, effectively improving ion transport efficiency and rate performance.
Compared with other electrode materials, activated carbon-based supercapacitors exhibit extremely long cycle life, often exceeding 100,000 cycles, and can work stably in a wide temperature range. These advantages make them widely used in new energy vehicles, industrial backup power, wind and solar power generation systems, intelligent equipment and frequency regulation power supplies.
With the rapid development of energy storage and electric transportation, high-performance activated carbon with high purity, high compaction density and reasonable pore structure has become the key to upgrading supercapacitors. As a key functional material, activated carbon will continue to promote the technological progress and large‑scale application of the supercapacitor industry.
