One-Step Molecular Templating of Highly Boron-Doped Hierarchical Porous Carbons for High-Performance Supercapacitors

The use of boron-doped porous carbon as an electrode material for supercapacitors is a topic of significant research interest. However, its practical applications are often limited by insufficient doping levels and an unfavorable pore structure. This study proposes a novel methodology involving a one-step molecular templating process for synthesizing glucose-derived, boron-rich, hierarchical, and porous carbon (denoted BGC-5). This method uses a condensation reaction like esterification, which occurs between borate anions (B(OH)₄^–) and the hydroxyl functional groups of glucose. This enables the boron species to be efficiently and uniformly integrated into the carbon matrix. Optimized BGC-5 material achieves an impressive boron doping concentration of 4.99 at. %, primarily in the configurations of BC₂O, BCO₂, and COH. This is accompanied by well-defined hierarchical micro-mesopores, which enhance electrical conductivity and promote the transportation of electrolyte ions in the electrodes. Consequently, BGC-5 exhibits a high capacitance of 330 F g^–1 at 0.5 A g^–1, alongside excellent rate performance. When the current density increases to 20 A g^–1, the electrode retains 79.4% of its capacitance. This synthetic strategy offers a viable approach to constructing high-performance boron-doped carbon for advanced energy storage applications.