Structure–Property Mechanisms in Activated Carbon Supercapacitor Electrodes

Activated carbons remain among the most widely used electrode materials for electrochemical double-layer and pseudocapacitive energy storage, with precursors ranging from biomass, coal, and pitch to synthetic polymers and waste-derived materials. Despite extensive efforts to improve capacitance and rate performance, the field remains largely empirical: high-performing materials are frequently reported without isolating the mechanisms responsible for their behaviour or establishing relationships transferable across precursor types, activation methods, and processing conditions. Variations in precursor composition, carbonisation and activation parameters, structural descriptors, electrolytes, and characterisation protocols further complicate cross-study comparisons. Recent research indicates that pore-size distribution, hierarchical porosity, surface functionality, heteroatom content, defects, and carbon framework organisation can regulate ion transport and charge storage. Operando spectroscopy, advanced electrochemical analysis, computational modelling, and data-driven methods provide new opportunities to resolve these effects, but quantitatively validated design rules that connect precursor chemistry and processing conditions with performance remain limited.This Research Topic aims to establish a mechanistic and quantitatively transferable basis for understanding how activated carbon precursors and carbonisation or activation conditions determine electrode structure and electrochemical behaviour across biomass, coal, pitch, synthetic, and waste-derived sources. It will investigate the individual and combined contributions of pore architecture, surface chemistry, heteroatom doping, defects, and carbon framework organisation to capacitance, rate capability, energy and power density, and cycling stability. Particular emphasis will be placed on operando and in-situ characterisation, standardised structural and electrochemical descriptors, computational approaches, and machine-learning-guided methods that can convert structure–performance correlations into predictive and experimentally validated design principles.To gather further insights into the structure–property science of activated carbon supercapacitor electrodes, this Research Topic will focus on mechanisms and transferable design rules linking precursor chemistry and conversion conditions with electrochemical performance. Studies primarily addressing green or sustainable synthesis routes, life-cycle or techno-economic assessment, or industrial-scale manufacturing fall outside its scope. We welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:- Correlations between precursor composition, carbonisation conditions, activation chemistry, and carbon structure- Pore-size distribution, hierarchical porosity, surface area, and ion-transport pathways- Surface functionality, heteroatom doping, defects, and carbon framework organisation- Structure–performance relationships for capacitance, rate capability, energy and power density- Mechanisms of electric double-layer and pseudocapacitive charge storage- Operando and in-situ spectroscopy, microscopy, scattering, and electrochemical characterisation- Standardised structural descriptors for cross-study and cross-precursor comparison- Computational modelling of pore accessibility, ion transport, and electrode behaviour- Machine-learning and data-driven models for predictive electrode design- Transferability, uncertainty quantification, and validation of structure–property relationships across precursors and processing routes Topic editors: LGHAZI YOUSSEF, Sanjeev Verma, Atanu Roy Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/84506/structure-property-mechanisms-in-activated-carbon-supercapacitor-electrodes