LAUSR

The growing demand for high performance from supercapacitors has inspired the development of porous nanocomposites using renewable and naturally available materials. In this work, a formaldehyde-free phenolic resin using monosaccharide-based furfural was synthesized to act as the carbon precursor. One dimensional halloysite nanotube (HNT) with high porosity and excellent cation/anion exchange capacity was mixed with the phenol-furfural resin to fabricate carbonaceous nanocomposite HNT/C. Their structure and porosity were characterized. The effects of the halloysite nanotube amount and carbonization temperature on the electrochemical properties of HNT/C were explored. HNT/C exhibited rich porosity, involving a large specific surface area 253 m2·g−1 with a total pore volume of 0.27 cm3·g−1. The electrochemical performance of HNT/C was characterized in the three-electrode system and showed enhanced specific capacitance of 146 F·g−1 at 0.2 A g−1 (68 F·g−1 for pristine carbon) in electrolyte (6 mol·L−1 KOH) and a good rate capability of 62% at 3 A g−1. It also displayed excellent cycle performance with capacitance retention of 98.5% after 500 cycles. The symmetric supercapacitors with HNT/C-1:1.5-800 electrodes were fabricated, exhibiting a high energy density of 20.28 Wh·Kg−1 at a power density of 100 W·Kg−1 in 1 M Na2SO4 electrolyte. The present work provides a feasible method for preparing composite electrode materials with a porous structure from renewable phenol-furfural resin and HNT. The excellent supercapacitance highlights the potential applications of HNT/C in energy storage.