Fabrication of a supporting kapok‑carbon/rGO electrode via self-assembly with enhanced capacitance

Abstract

To address the limitations associated with biomass mass transfer and improve the capacitance of graphene oxide (GO), a supporting Kapok Fiber carbon/reduced GO (CKF/rGO) electrode was constructed via an effective combination of CKF and GO. The carbon electrode (CKF-800/rGO-1:1) fabricated by mixing GO with CKF-800 in a 1:1 ratio showed a specific capacitance of 721.6 mF·cm−2 at a current density of 0.5 mA·cm−2. Moreover, the capacitance retention rate of this film was 95.71 % after 5000 cycles at a current density of 10 mA·cm−2. The use of GO as a stable support system, combined with the kapok carbon's large surface area and a unique tubular transmission channel for carbon electrodes, contributed to this result. Furthermore, the combination prevents agglomeration and restacking between graphene layers, ensuring effective electron and ion transport and providing a CKF/rGO composite carbon-supported electrode with excellent electrochemical properties. Therefore, CKF-800/rGO-1:1 represents a promising material for use as a supporting biomass-based carbon electrode.