Abstract: In this paper,using Hebei anthracite as raw material and KOH as activator,coal-based capacitive carbon with high specific surface area was prepared by chemical activation method. The effect of specific surface area of coal-based capacitive carbon on the electrochemical performance of double-layer capacitor in inorganic/organic system was investigated. The results show that the specific surface area,total pore volume and mesopore ratio of the prepared capacitor carbons increase with the increase of alkali-coal ratio. When the alkali-coal ratio reaches 3. 5,the specific surface area,total pore volume and mesopore ratio of the prepared capacitor carbon are3 389 m2/g,2.041 cm3/g and 49.9%,respectively. It can be seen that for the inorganic/organic system,the change rule of the electrochemical performance of the capacitor varies slightly under the same specific surface area change law. When the ratio of alkali to coal is less than 2,the specific surface area of the prepared capacitor carbon is less than 2 400 m2/g. In this case,for the inorganic/organic system,the variation of the specific capacitance of the capacitor is the same,and the specific capacitance increases obviously with the increase of the specific surface area. When the ratio of alkali to coal is greater than 2,the specific surface area of the prepared capacitor carbon is greater than 2 400 m2/g. As the specific surface area continues to increase,the specific capacitance of the electrode material for the inorganic system almost remains unchanged,and the maximum specific capacitance reaches 331 F/g. For the organic system,the specific capacitance of the electrode material increases slowly,and the maximum specific capacitance reaches 192 F/g. When the ratio of alkali to coal is 2,the specific surface area of capacitor carbon is 2 382 m2/g. In this case,both for inorganic and organic systems,the capacitor has a relatively high specific capacitance retention rate while maintaining a relatively high specific capacitance. Therefore,to some extent,It is conducive to improving the electrochemical performance of supercapacitors by increasing the specific surface area of electrode materials. The preparation of capacitive carbon with appropriate specific surface area can not only get capacitors with higher capacitance performance,but also control the cost effectively. At the same time,the preparation of capacitive carbon with coal as raw material can enhance the added value of coal and has a good market prospect.