Performance study of bamboo activated carbon and RuO2 nanocomposite electrode material for supercapacitor applications in KOH electrolyte

Abstract

This study investigates the electrochemical properties of pure bamboo activated carbon (pure BAC), and its nanocomposite used as a electrode materials in supercapacitor applications. BAC was synthesized using a two-step potassium hydroxide (KOH) activation process under a nitrogen atmosphere, resulting in an enhanced surface area and increased porosity. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed crystallinity percentages of 75.31% for pure BAC and 86.87% for the BAC nanocomposite. The BAC nanocomposite demonstrated improved conductivity compared to pure BAC. From this scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) image at depth of 100 μm, it is found that BAC has abundant pores represented by thick pore walls and circular pores. This image reveals the porous nature of BAC. The ruthenium oxide (RuO₂)nanoshells were linked, resulting in porous surface morphology. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurements indicated that the BAC nanocomposite achieved a specific capacitance of 241.59 F/g, compared to 146.78 F/g for pure BAC at a scan rate of 2 mV/s. In terms of capacitance retention, pure BAC exhibited 74.70% capacitance retention, while the BAC nanocomposite achieved 82.49% after 2500 cycles. These results highlight the potential of BAC and its nanocomposite as promising, sustainable electrode materials for advanced supercapacitor applications.