Interconnected open-channel carbon nanosheets derived from pineapple leaf fiber as a sustainable active material for supercapacitors

Abstract

The interconnected open-channel carbon nanosheets were prepared from the agro-waste pineapple leaf fiber using a simple hydrothermal technique and KOH chemical activation under heat treatment in Ar atmosphere. The obtained activated carbon showed amorphous structure with porous graphitized carbon nanosheets and a high specific surface area of 1681m2g−1. When used as an active material for supercapacitor, such natural fiber-derived carbon nanosheets revealed a high electrochemical performance (the specific capacitance was as high as 202Fg−1 at 5mVs−1 in 1M H2SO4) and a superb cycling stability even after 10,000 cycles of operation. The carbon nanosheets reported herein, therefore, represent a green energy material that combine the benefit of sustainability of an active component and the promise of high-performance energy storage device.