# Supercapacitor electrodes: zooming in on ions in carbon pores

> A zoom-in cascade from a supercapacitor cell to the porous carbon of its electrode, the double layer of ions on a charged wall, and a sub-nanometre pore where ions shed their solvent. A footer compares the two ways to store charge, ion adsorption and fast surface redox, with the pore sizes that changed the field and the volumetric capacitance of MXene.

- Page: https://www.labcanvas.com/templates/graphical-abstracts/supercapacitor-electrodes-zooming-ions-carbon-pores
- Open in the LabCanvas editor (LabCanvas account): https://www.labcanvas.com/editor.html?template=supercapacitor-electrodes-ions-in-pores
- Updated: 2026-10-14
- Category: Materials graphical abstracts
- Method: Graphical abstract
- Starting materials: A supercapacitor cell with porous carbon electrodes
- Product: Charge stored as ions on pore walls or by fast surface redox
- Key result: Average pore sizes 0.6–2.25 nm in carbide-derived carbon (Chmiola et al. 2006); more than 300 F cm⁻³ for Ti3C2 MXene with intercalated cations (Lukatskaya et al. 2013)
- Figure: 1920 × 1080 px, 90 editable layers (1 generated objects with settings)

## Steps

1. **The cell**: Electrochemical capacitors deliver or take up energy at high power (Simon & Gogotsi 2008)
2. **Porous carbon**: Activated, carbide-derived and templated carbons with high surface areas make the electrodes (Simon & Gogotsi 2013)
3. **Double layer**: Ions adsorb on the charged carbon surface: the double-layer capacitor (Simon & Gogotsi 2008)
4. **Sub-nanometre pores**: In pores smaller than the solvated ions, ions shed their solvent and capacitance rises; carbide-derived carbons with pores of 0.6–2.25 nm showed it (Chmiola et al. 2006; Simon & Gogotsi 2008)
5. **Fast surface redox**: Pseudocapacitive oxides, nitrides, polymers and MXenes add redox charge; cations intercalated in Ti3C2 give more than 300 F cm⁻³ (Simon & Gogotsi 2008, 2020; Lukatskaya et al. 2013)

## Uses

- Graphical abstracts on supercapacitor electrode materials
- Talks on double-layer and pseudocapacitive storage
- Teaching ion desolvation in nanopores

## References

1. Simon & Gogotsi, “Materials for electrochemical capacitors”, Nat. Mater. 2008. https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat2297 (review)
2. Chmiola et al., “Anomalous increase in carbon capacitance at pore sizes less than 1 nanometer”, Science 2006. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1132195 (primary)
3. Lukatskaya et al., “Cation intercalation and high volumetric capacitance of two-dimensional titanium carbide”, Science 2013. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1241488 (primary)
4. Simon & Gogotsi, “Capacitive energy storage in nanostructured carbon-electrolyte systems”, Acc. Chem. Res. 2013. https://doi.org/10.1021/ar200306b (review)
5. Simon & Gogotsi, “Perspectives for electrochemical capacitors and related devices”, Nat. Mater. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-020-0747-z (review)

Credit: Drawn by LabCanvas after Simon & Gogotsi, Nat. Mater. 2008 (doi:10.1038/nmat2297); Chmiola et al., Science 2006 (doi:10.1126/science.1132195); Lukatskaya et al., Science 2013 (doi:10.1126/science.1241488); Simon & Gogotsi, Acc. Chem. Res. 2013 (doi:10.1021/ar200306b) and Nat. Mater. 2020 (doi:10.1038/s41563-020-0747-z).

## Questions

**What does the “Supercapacitor electrodes: zooming in on ions in carbon pores” template show?** A zoom-in cascade from a supercapacitor cell to the porous carbon of its electrode, the double layer of ions on a charged wall, and a sub-nanometre pore where ions shed their solvent. A footer compares the two ways to store charge, ion adsorption and fast surface redox, with the pore sizes that changed the field and the volumetric capacitance of MXene.

**What are the steps shown in “Supercapacitor electrodes: zooming in on ions in carbon pores”?** 1. The cell: Electrochemical capacitors deliver or take up energy at high power (Simon & Gogotsi 2008). 2. Porous carbon: Activated, carbide-derived and templated carbons with high surface areas make the electrodes (Simon & Gogotsi 2013). 3. Double layer: Ions adsorb on the charged carbon surface: the double-layer capacitor (Simon & Gogotsi 2008). 4. Sub-nanometre pores: In pores smaller than the solvated ions, ions shed their solvent and capacitance rises; carbide-derived carbons with pores of 0.6–2.25 nm showed it (Chmiola et al. 2006; Simon & Gogotsi 2008). 5. Fast surface redox: Pseudocapacitive oxides, nitrides, polymers and MXenes add redox charge; cations intercalated in Ti3C2 give more than 300 F cm⁻³ (Simon & Gogotsi 2008, 2020; Lukatskaya et al. 2013).

**What are the starting materials and the product?** Starting materials: A supercapacitor cell with porous carbon electrodes. Product: Charge stored as ions on pore walls or by fast surface redox.

**Which papers is “Supercapacitor electrodes: zooming in on ions in carbon pores” based on?** Simon & Gogotsi, “Materials for electrochemical capacitors”, Nat. Mater. 2008 (doi:10.1038/nmat2297); Chmiola et al., “Anomalous increase in carbon capacitance at pore sizes less than 1 nanometer”, Science 2006 (doi:10.1126/science.1132195); Lukatskaya et al., “Cation intercalation and high volumetric capacitance of two-dimensional titanium carbide”, Science 2013 (doi:10.1126/science.1241488); Simon & Gogotsi, “Capacitive energy storage in nanostructured carbon-electrolyte systems”, Acc. Chem. Res. 2013 (doi:10.1021/ar200306b); Simon & Gogotsi, “Perspectives for electrochemical capacitors and related devices”, Nat. Mater. 2020 (doi:10.1038/s41563-020-0747-z).

**Can I edit the “Supercapacitor electrodes: zooming in on ions in carbon pores” template?** Yes. Open it in the LabCanvas editor: all 90 layers are editable, including 1 generated objects (structures, plots, equipment) with their own settings. Change the text, colours and layout, then export PNG, TIFF, SVG or PDF.

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