Effect of carbonization atmosphere on electrochemical properties of nitrogen-doped porous carbon

Nitrogen atom doping has been found to enhance the electrochemical performance of porous carbon (PC). In this study, hollow tubular nitrogen-doped porous carbon (N/PC) was synthesized using polyvinylpyrrolidone as the carbon–nitrogen source and fibrous brucite as the template through carbonization. The effects of nitrogen and argon protective atmospheres on the nitrogen content, the specific surface area (SSA), and electrochemical properties of N/PC were investigated. The results showed that compared with N/FBC-Ar, N/FBC-N2 prepared in nitrogen protective atmosphere had a higher nitrogen content and a larger proportion of pyrrolic nitrogen (N-5) and pyridinic nitrogen (N-6). N/FBC-N2 displayed a specific capacitance (C) of 194.1 F·g−1 at 1 A·g−1, greater than that of N/FBC-Ar (174.3 F·g−1). This work reveals that the nitrogen doping with a higher nitrogen content in nitrogen protective atmosphere is more favorable. Furthermore, a larger proportion of pyrrolic nitrogen and pyridinic nitrogen in the doped nitrogen atoms significantly enhances the electrochemical performance.