The uniform porous structure makes activated porous carbons (APCs) superior electrode material. Traditionally, APCs are produced by a combination of time-consuming high-temperature heat treatment and activation, with a production time of up to several hours. The produced APCs have relatively low specific surface area (SSA) and porosity. Therefore, the electrochemical performance is poor, which limits its application in high-power energy storage devices. Here, APCs materials are directly synthesized by a high temperature shock (HTS) strategy using needle coke as a precursor. The structure of as-prepared APC is characterized by XRD, SEM and Raman, and electrochemical tests confirmed its good electrochemical performance. In the two-electrode system, the supercapacitor with HTS-APC as the electrode material provides a high energy density of 35 ​Wh kg−1 and a high power density of 875 ​W ​kg−1 in EMIMBF4 ionic liquid. This work is instructive for the rapid synthesis of electrode materials, and also provides guidance for the large-scale application of porous carbon materials.

Graphitic carbon nanocages (CNCs) have garnered attention as viable candidates for potassium storage, primarily due to their notable crystallinity, large surface area, and rich porosity. Yet, the development of a rapid, scalable, and economically feasible synthesis approach for CNCs persists as a formidable challenge. This study presents a rapid (millisecond-scale) and scalable (gram-scale) method for fabricating mesoporous CNCs characterized by high purity and orderly graphitic structures, utilizing the flash Joule heating technique. Employed for potassium storage, the CNC electrode developed herein exhibits exceptional performance metrics, including initial capacity, rate capability, and cycling stability, surpassing numerous carbonaceous materials previously documented. Impressively, it delivers a high initial capacity of 312.3 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1, maintains 175.1 mAh g−1 at a high rate of 2.0 A g−1, and retains 219.6 mAh g−1 over 1000 cycles at 1.0 A g−1. Molecular dynamics simulations and in situ characterizations are employed to elucidate this robust behavior. This work underscores the significant advantages of the flash Joule heating technique in synthesizing carbonaceous materials for potassium storage applications.

Chemical manipulation of surface functional groups on two-dimensional transition metal carbides and/or nitrides (MXenes) provides a wide range of design and application prospects. However, achieving rapid targeted modification of surface groups remains a significant challenge. Herein, we propose a general strategy to swiftly shear and customize surface groups on Ti3C2Tx−MXene via the flash Joule heating (FJH) reaction within 1 s. Successfully, MXenes with 9 target terminations, including VII A (F, Cl, Br, or I), VI A (O, S, or Se), and V A (N or P), either single or multiple, are synthesized, with a surface content of up to about 76 %. The impact of these terminations is systematically analyzed on electrochemical performance, demonstrating that VI A and V A terminations have higher electrochemical activity than VII A. Particularly, N-, S-, and O-terminated MXenes exhibit enhanced specific capacities and undecayed cycling performance. These findings offer valuable insights for the surface engineering design and performance optimization of functional materials.