The doping of coal-based activated carbon with both B and N for use as the cathode of high performance aqueous zinc-ion hybrid capacitors

• B and N co-doped coal-based activated carbon achieves a high specific capacity of 371.4 mAh g−1 at 1 A g−1 for aqueous zinc-ion capacitors. • The material retains 74% of its initial capacity after 10,000 cycles, demonstrating excellent cycling stability. • Density functional theory calculations reveal that pyridinic N is crucial for enhancing Zn2+ storage and electrochemical reversibility. • This work provides insights for designing high-capacity and ultrafast pseudocapacitive carbon cathodes for ZICs.