An activated carbon powder comprising activated carbon particles, wherein the activated carbon particles have a Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area that is in a range of about 900 m 2 /g to about 2,500 m 2 /g, and wherein the activated carbon particles comprise: (a) carbon that comprises: (i) D-band carbon corresponding to a sp 3 hybridized disordered carbon phase; and (ii) G-band carbon corresponding to a sp 2 hybridized graphitic phase; wherein the D-band carbon and G-band carbon are at a proportion, determined using Raman spectroscopy to arrive at relative intensities of D-band carbon (I D ) and G-band carbon (I G ), such that a I G /I D ratio is in a range of 0 to about 2; (b) nitrogen at an amount, determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, that is in a range of about 0.3 atomic % to about 1.8 atomic % of the activated carbon particles, wherein at least some of the nitrogen atoms are substituted for carbon atoms in the crystal lattice structure of the G-band carbon sp 2 hybridized graphitic phase; (c) mesopores with diameters in a range of 2 nm to 5 nm and micropores with diameters less than 2 nm, the activated carbon particles having: (i) an average pore width, determined by the Barrett, Joyner, and Halenda (BJH) method, in a range of about 1 nm to about 4 nm; (ii) a microporous surface area, determined by the t-plot method, in a range of about 300 m 2 /g to about 1,350 m 2 /g; and (ii) a cumulative surface area of micropores with a hydraulic radius in a range of 0.285 nm to 1.30 nm that is in a range of about 1,000 m 2 /g to about 3,000 m 2 /g. (a) carbon that comprises: (i) D-band carbon corresponding to a sp 3 hybridized disordered carbon phase; and (ii) G-band carbon corresponding to a sp 2 hybridized graphitic phase; wherein the D-band carbon and G-band carbon are at a proportion, determined using Raman spectroscopy to arrive at relative intensities of D-band carbon (I D ) and G-band carbon (I G ), such that a I G /I D ratio is in a range of 0 to about 2; (i) D-band carbon corresponding to a sp 3 hybridized disordered carbon phase; and (ii) G-band carbon corresponding to a sp 2 hybridized graphitic phase; (b) nitrogen at an amount, determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, that is in a range of about 0.3 atomic % to about 1.8 atomic % of the activated carbon particles, wherein at least some of the nitrogen atoms are substituted for carbon atoms in the crystal lattice structure of the G-band carbon sp 2 hybridized graphitic phase; (c) mesopores with diameters in a range of 2 nm to 5 nm and micropores with diameters less than 2 nm, the activated carbon particles having: (i) an average pore width, determined by the Barrett, Joyner, and Halenda (BJH) method, in a range of about 1 nm to about 4 nm; (ii) a microporous surface area, determined by the t-plot method, in a range of about 300 m 2 /g to about 1,350 m 2 /g; and (ii) a cumulative surface area of micropores with a hydraulic radius in a range of 0.285 nm to 1.30 nm that is in a range of about 1,000 m 2 /g to about 3,000 m 2 /g. (i) an average pore width, determined by the Barrett, Joyner, and Halenda (BJH) method, in a range of about 1 nm to about 4 nm; (ii) a microporous surface area, determined by the t-plot method, in a range of about 300 m 2 /g to about 1,350 m 2 /g; and (ii) a cumulative surface area of micropores with a hydraulic radius in a range of 0.285 nm to 1.30 nm that is in a range of about 1,000 m 2 /g to about 3,000 m 2 /g. <EOS>