A dual functional material: Spirulina Platensis waste-supported Pd-Co catalyst as a novel promising supercapacitor electrode

Abstract

In the present study, Spirulina Platensis waste-supported Pd-Co (SPW-Pd-Co) catalyst was used as an efficient catalyst for the methanolysis reaction of sodium borohydride (NaBH4); moreover, the produced SPW-Pd-Co catalyst was tested as a supercapacitor electrode material for the first time. In this context, the SPW-Pd-Co catalyst was synthesized by the treatment of the Spirulina Platensis waste (SPW) with 1–7 M HCl, 1 mL PdCl2 solution (2% w/w) and 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 mL CoCI2·6H2O solution (5% w/w). Under optimum conditions, the most active catalyst was obtained by burning with 3 M HCl-Pd-4 mL Co2+ solution at 600 °C for 90 min. The maximum rate of hydrogen generation (HGR) obtained at 30 °C from the NaBH4 methanolysis reaction was found to be 5497.7 mLmin-1gcat−1, and the catalyst activation energy was found to be 10.32 kJ mol−1. The gravimetric capacitance of the prepared electrode was calculated as 50 F/g at 2 A/g current density. The capacitance values of the supercapacitor are at a significant level in terms of capacity and the cost.