Biomass-derived oxygen-rich activated carbon with a rod-like porous structure for use in electrochemical energy storage devices

In recent years, heteroatom-doped activated carbon has gained significant attention in the field of electrochemical energy storage owing to its advantageous characteristics. This study involved the creation of self‑oxygen-doped active carbon through an easy preparation technique from Cocos nucifera husk waste via a one-step physicochemical activation strategy. The resulting O self-doped AC possesses a rod-like porous framework, an abundant O content (6.24 wt%), and a high specific surface area (480 m² g⁻¹). At a current rate of 1 A g⁻¹, the specific capacitance of CNHAC-2.5 has reached a remarkable value as high as 280 F g⁻¹. This device also delivered a high specific energy of 38.84 Wh kg⁻¹ at a specific power of 207.47 W kg⁻¹. These findings indicate that the Cocos nucifera husk waste has potential for use as a precursor for self‑oxygen-doped activated carbon, which can be used as an electrode material for SCs, offering cost-effectiveness and superior performance.