Biomass waste-derived porous graphitic carbon for high-performance supercapacitors

Abstract

Porous carbons possess considerable appeal and are in high demand as materials that can be produced from biomass waste. This study presents the transformation of Tectona grandis (Teak) sawdust into porous carbon materials, referred to as Tectona grandis sawdust-derived porous carbon (TPC), through a cost-effective FeCl3-assisted carbonization process, followed by a KOH activation. TPC samples were synthesized by carbonization at different temperatures (650–850 °C) and characterized comprehensively. Structural analysis via X-Ray diffraction (XRD), Raman, and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) revealed a progressive enhancement in graphitic structure and reduction of functional groups with increasing activation temperature. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) displayed the development of intricate hollow tube-like porous networks in TPC-850, with the highest specific surface area (1767.66 m2/g) and pore volume (1.43 cm3/g). Electrochemical investigations showcased the superior performance of TPC-850 as a supercapacitor electrode due to its high graphitic nature, large surface area, and well-structured porosity. The galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD) measurements exhibited a high specific capacitance of 572 F/g at 0.5 A/g in a 6 M KOH electrolyte. The high-frequency semicircle and low-frequency steeper region in electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) further indicated reduced resistance and enhanced ion diffusion in TPC-850. Significantly, TPC-850 demonstrated remarkable electrochemical cyclic stability, retaining 95.83 % of its initial capacity even after undergoing 4500 cycles at a scan rate of 500 mV/s. The findings underscore the viability of TPC-850 as a high-performance supercapacitor electrode material, providing insights into harnessing renewable resources for advanced energy solutions. This work highlights the potential of utilizing waste biomass for energy storage applications and demonstrates the feasibility of converting it into efficient porous carbon materials with substantial graphitization and porosity.