An official website of the United States government
The realization of biomass‐derived supercapacitors of high performance is of practical importance for the manufacturing of supercapacitors from green and renewable sources. Herein, the feasibility of constructing high‐performance supercapacitors from potato‐derived activated carbon (AC) is demonstrated. The potato‐derived AC is produced from potato mash through hydrothermal treatment and high‐temperature activation with KOH as agent. The supercapacitors with aqueous electrolyte of 6 mKOH and a mass loading of 5 mg per electrode achieve a specific gravimetric capacitance of 333.7 F g−1per electrode and a specific energy of 11.75 W h g−1at a specific power of 197.6 W kg−1at a current density of 0.4 A g−1under a nominal compressive stress of 7.96 MPa. The supercapacitors with a mass loading of 10 mg per electrode achieve the maximum specific gravimetric capacitance of 340.6 F g−1and a specific energy of 11.75 W h g−1at a specific power of 194.2 W kg−1at a current density of 0.4 A g−1under a nominal compressive stress of 7.96 MPa. Increasing the compaction of electrode materials under compressive stress has the potential to increase the electrochemical performance of supercapacitors.
more »
« less
This content will become publicly available on April 22, 2026
From Waste to Watts: Cigarette Filter Waste to Carbon Nanomaterial‐Based Supercapacitors for Sustainable Energy Storage Applications
Currently, the rapidly growing population is producing hazardous waste materials at an unprecedented rate, which seriously affects the global environment. Additionally, increasing population and pollution have amplified the need for renewable energy and efficient energy-storage technologies. One strategy is to implement greener processes for efficiency and/or utilize the waste generated for useful domestic and industrial applications. In this context, here, we harnessed the most littered environmental pollutant, cigarette filter waste (CFW), to synthesize carbon nanomaterials (CNM) via a single-step pyrolysis process, devoid of any catalyst or activating agent, possessing optimal characteristics for serving as an active electrode material in the fabrication of cutting-edge supercapacitors, thereby addressing the issue of waste recycling and the need for energy storage devices among the populace. Supercapacitors, namely SC-1 to SC-4 matching electrolytes, 1M H2SO4, 2M H2SO4, 1M KOH, and 2M KOH, fabricated using CNM electrodes were evaluated. Among these, SC-2 exhibits superior performance, demonstrating a remarkable capacitance of 240 Fg–1 at low scan rates (2 mVs–1), an enhanced energy density (22.4 Whkg–1), and commendable power density (399.43 Wkg–1). Furthermore, SC-2 maintained 5000 cycles of outstanding stability with 97.8% capacitance retention. This study unveils the potential of CFW-derived CNMs as an electrode material for the realization of state-of-the-art supercapacitors.
more »
« less
- Award ID(s):
- 1827745
- PAR ID:
- 10632498
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Battery Energy
- ISSN:
- 2768-1688
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
-
Electrochemical double-layer capacitors (EDLCs) provide high power density and long cycle life energy storage. This work examines the use of inexpensive, raw coal char as an electrode material for supercapacitors. The effect of electrolyte composition on the performance of coal char supercapacitors is explored for the first time to determine the relative contributions of double-layer capacitance vs. faradaic reactions on total charge storage. Six electrolytes are examined with coal char electrodes, including: four aqueous electrolytes (0.5 M H 2 SO 4 , 6 M KOH, 0.5 M Na 2 SO 4 , 4 M LiNO 3 ); a water-in-salt electrolyte using 13 m NaClO 4 ; and an ionic liquid electrolyte (1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate in acetonitrile). Voltage range, specific capacitance, electrochemical impedance, and charge–discharge characteristics of the coal char in the different electrolytes are characterized. The results indicate that neutral aqueous, water-in-salt, and ionic liquid electrolytes present a charging/discharging process approaching ideal EDLC behavior. The study provides insight into the optimal electrolyte composition for use with coal char electrodes and contributes to the current understanding of electrode-electrolyte interactions in carbon supercapacitors.more » « less
-
ABSTRACT Compact-size kilohertz (kHz) AC-supercapacitors are being pursued for ripple current filtering and pulsed energy storage. However, their development is limited by a small areal capacitance density due to very thin electrode used for meeting frequency requirement. In our work, crosslinked carbon nanofiber aerogel (CCNFA) was investigated as freestanding electrode for kHz AC-supercapacitors with an areal capacitance density as large as 4.5 mF cm -2 at 120 Hz, 5-10 times larger than most reports. The CCNFA was obtained in a rapid plasma carbonization process of bacterial cellulose. The fabrication route adopted here is simple and straightforward, and the produced CCNFA electrode was found to be very suitable for high-frequency AC-supercapacitors. The operating voltage range of CCNFA based AC-supercapacitors can be expanded to 3 V by utilizing an organic electrolyte. In addition to AC-Supercapacitor performance, the morphology and material properties of bacterial cellulose aerogel and CCNFA were also reported.more » « less
-
Supercapacitors and batteries are essential for sustainable energy development. However, the bottleneck is the associated high cost, which limits bulk use of batteries and supercapacitors. In this context, realizing that the cost of energy‐storage device mainly depends on materials, synthesis processes/procedures, and device fabrication, an effort is made to rationally design and develop novel low‐cost electrode materials with enhanced electrochemical performance in asymmetric supercapacitors. Herein, surface functionalization approach is adopted to design low‐cost 3D mesoporous and nanostructured nickel–nickel oxide electrode materials using facile synthesis for application in supercapacitors. It is demonstrated that the 3D mesoporous Ni provides the high surface area and enhanced ionic conductivity, while germanium functionalization improves the electrical conductivity and reduces the charge‐transfer resistance of NiO. Surface functionalization with Ge demonstrates the significant improvement in specific capacitance of NiO. The asymmetric supercapacitor using these Ge‐functionalized NiO–Ni electrodes provides a specific capacitance of 304 Fg−1(94 mF cm−2), energy density of 23.8 Wh kg−1(7.35 μWh cm−2), and power density of 6.8 kW kg−1(2.1 mW cm−2) with excellent cyclic stability of 92% after 10 000 cycles. To validate their practical applications, powering the digital watch using the asymmetric supercapacitors in laboratory conditions is demonstrated.more » « less
-
Abstract Stretchable supercapacitors (SCs) have attracted significant attention in developing power‐independent stretchable electronic systems due to their intrinsic energy storage function and unique mechanical properties. Most current SCs are generally limited by their low stretchability, complicated fabrication process, and insufficient performance and robustness. This study presents a facile method to fabricate arbitrary‐shaped stretchable electrodes via 4D printing of conductive composite from reduced graphene oxide, carbon nanotube, and poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate. The electrode patterns of an arbitrary shape can be deposited onto prestretched substrates by aerosol‐jet printing, then self‐organized origami (ridge) patterns are generated after releasing the substrates from holding stretchers due to the mismatched strains. The stretchable electrodes demonstrate superior mechanical robustness and stretchability without sacrificing its outstanding electrochemical performance. The symmetric SC prototype possesses a gravimetric capacitance of ≈21.7 F g−1at a current density of 0.5 A g−1and a capacitance retention of ≈85.8% from 0.5 to 5 A g−1. A SC array with arbitrary‐shaped electrodes is also fabricated and connected in series to power light‐emitting diode patterns for large‐scale applications. The proposed method paves avenues for scalable manufacturing of future energy‐storage devices with controlled extensibility and high electrochemical performance.more » « less
