Fabrication of N-doped Porous Carbon Materials by Biomass Carbonization for Energy Storage, Electroanalysis and Metal Ion Removal

In this work, nitrogen-doped porous carbons (NDPCs) were prepared by one-step carbonization of biomass using Sargassum thunbergii as a model for energy storage, electroanalysis, and metal ion removal. The pore structures of NDPCs can be adjusted by changing the pyrolysis temperature (600-800 degrees C). It was discovered that NDPCs-700 as a supercapacitor electrode material could display acceptable specific capacitance of 177 F g(-1) in 6 M KOH aqueous electrolyte at current density of 0.2 A g(-1) with good cycling stability (capacitance retention of 95 % after 2000 cycles), owing to its unique micro-meso hierarchical pore structure, good conductivity and high nitrogen content (4.61 %). Also, it could act as an electrochemical sensing material, showing good electrocatalytic performance for dopamine (DA) detection in the dynamic detection range of 1.0 to 120 mu M with a detection limit of 0.382 mu M. Besides, the so fabricated multifunctional material can allow for the removal of metal ions like Hg2+ with high efficiency.