Biomass-derived carbon electrodes from sugarcane bagasse for supercapacitor applications

Abstract

This research investigates the application of carbon materials derived from sugarcane bagasse, a form of biomass, for the advancement of supercapacitor electrodes. Carbon electrodes were synthesized by carbonizing biomass waste at 500 °C with varying durations (3, 4, 5, and 10 h) and pre-treatment using glacial acetic acid, HCl, and NaOH. The resulting materials were designated as C-1, C-2, C-3, and C-4 respectively. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was employed to analyze the structural properties of the materials, while Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy were used to evaluate their optical characteristics. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was performed to examine the morphology and structural characteristics of all samples. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was conducted to surface chemistry, and elemental composition of materials. Electrochemical performance was assessed using cyclic voltammetry (CV), charging discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Sample C-4, synthesized at 500 °C for 10 h, exhibited the best electrochemical performance, with high specific capacitances of 226.7 F/g at 1 mV/s, excellent rate capability with 65% capacitance retention at 100 mV/s, and excellent cyclic stability and coulombic efficiency of 100% over 5000 cycles. These findings underscore the effectiveness of biomass-derived carbon electrode for high performance supercapacitor applications.