Transforming Polyethylene Terephthalate Waste into Activated Carbon for Supercapacitor Electrode Material: A Sustainable Approach

IF 2.8 4区工程技术 Q3 ENGINEERING, ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONIC

Journal of Electronic Materials Pub Date : 2026-08-19 DOI:10.1007/s11664-026-13078-4

Kannan Kandasamy, Sangeetha Velusamy, Santheeb Balaji Velmurugan, Karthikeyan Eshwarasamy

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Waste polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles were converted into activated carbon for application as supercapacitor electrode materials using a pyrolysis and chemical activation approach. PET bottles were carbonized at temperatures between 400°C and 550°C under oxygen-free conditions to obtain carbon black, followed by chemical activation using sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄). The surface morphology and elemental composition of the PET precursor and activated carbon were examined using scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive x-ray analysis. Electrochemical performance was evaluated in a three-electrode system using cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge–discharge (GCD), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in an alkaline electrolyte. Among the investigated samples, the activated carbon prepared at 400°C exhibited the highest specific capacitance of 86.38 F g⁻¹, indicating an optimal balance between carbonization and electrochemical activity. These results demonstrate the feasibility of converting PET waste into functional carbon materials and highlight their potential for sustainable energy storage applications.

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将聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯废物转化为超级电容器电极材料的活性炭：一种可持续的方法

采用热解和化学活化的方法，将废旧聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯（PET）瓶转化为活性炭，作为超级电容器电极材料。PET瓶在400℃~ 550℃无氧条件下碳化，得到炭黑，然后用硫酸（H2SO4）进行化学活化。采用扫描电镜和能量色散x射线分析对PET前驱体和活性炭的表面形貌和元素组成进行了表征。采用循环伏安法（CV）、恒流充放电法（GCD）和电化学阻抗谱法（EIS）在碱性电解液中评价了三电极体系的电化学性能。在所研究的样品中，400°C时制备的活性炭比电容最高，为86.38 F g−1，表明炭化和电化学活性之间达到了最佳平衡。这些结果证明了将PET废物转化为功能碳材料的可行性，并突出了它们在可持续能源存储应用方面的潜力。

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来源期刊

Journal of Electronic Materials 工程技术-材料科学：综合

CiteScore

4.10

自引率

4.80%

发文量

693

审稿时长

3.8 months

期刊介绍： The Journal of Electronic Materials (JEM) reports monthly on the science and technology of electronic materials, while examining new applications for semiconductors, magnetic alloys, dielectrics, nanoscale materials, and photonic materials. The journal welcomes articles on methods for preparing and evaluating the chemical, physical, electronic, and optical properties of these materials. Specific areas of interest are materials for state-of-the-art transistors, nanotechnology, electronic packaging, detectors, emitters, metallization, superconductivity, and energy applications. Review papers on current topics enable individuals in the field of electronics to keep abreast of activities in areas peripheral to their own. JEM also selects papers from conferences such as the Electronic Materials Conference, the U.S. Workshop on the Physics and Chemistry of II-VI Materials, and the International Conference on Thermoelectrics. It benefits both specialists and non-specialists in the electronic materials field. A journal of The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society.