Abstract: Activated carbons are considered to be the most widely used electrode materials for supercapacitor.In this paper, the working principle of supercapacitor and several preparation methods of activated carbon as electrode material including physical activation, chemical activation, and chem-physical activation were reviewed.And the advantages and shortcomings of each method were pointed out.In addition, the factors, e.g., the specific surface area, pore size distribution, and surface functional groups of activated carbon, which influenced electrochemical performances of supercapacitor, were illustrated.At last, the future development of activated carbon as electrode material was prospected.