Waste-derived Ni/C composite material for supercapacitor applications

Abstract

Ni/C composite was generated from waste engine oil (WEO) using plasma heat decomposition. A detergent containing Ni(OH)2 was used to emulsify the waste oil. The burdened emulsion was drizzled on an electric plasma formed by connecting two carbon electrodes to a 70–80 Ampere and 28 Volt DC main supply. Ni-doped carbon fumes were trapped on a polymeric film dampened with synthetic adhesive, to adhere the deposit. XRD, FTIR, XPS, SEM, EDX, TEM, and Raman techniques were used to characterize the obtained deposit. Ni nanoparticles were dispersed over mesoporous carbon flakes with moderate surface area (8.002 m2 g−1) and showed good capacitance characteristics. Its specific capacitance reached 296 F g−1 at a current density of 1 A g−1 and maintained 90 % of its initial capacity after 2000 charge/discharge cycles. The composite's high performance qualifies it as a promising affordable energy storage material.