Synthesis and characterization of microcrystals cellulose from citronella waste (Cymbopogon nardus L.) as a filler in graphene oxide

Abstract

One of the energy storage materials that is interesting to research is graphene-based. Electrodes from multiple layers of graphene oxide can produce dense porous materials capable of trapping charged ions of various sizes. Graphene-based materials generally need to be composited to prevent layer buildup, resulting in less than optimal energy storage characteristics. Microcrystal cellulose should be added to reduce the formation of the graphene layer and increase the pore size. Microcrystal cellulose are produced by decomposing and separating the parts of natural cellulose crystals. One type of grass in Bangka Belitung is the citronella (Cymbopogon nardus). The cellulose yield from citronella waste is 22%. Based on FTIR spectroscopy, there are typical functional groups of cellulose such as C=O, C-H, C-O, and C-O-C groups. The size of the cellulose microcrystals obtained is 49.47 µm.