Investigation of a New Supercapacitor Electrode Material from Prunus Spinosa Biomass

Abstract

The systems like portable electronic devices, electric vehicles, and uninterrupted power applications demonstrate the necessity of energy storage recently. Thus the interest in supercapacitor technology, which is thought to be an alternative solution to traditional energy storage devices and provides great advantages in terms of preventing environmental pollution, is increasing day by day. In this study, Prunus spinosa seed waste biomass (PS) was converted to supercapacitor active material for the first time through the different activation processes. The surface characterizations of the obtained materials were performed by using Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy-Dispersive X-Ray (SEM-EDX), BET, X-Ray Diffraction Analysis (XRD) and Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis methods. Three different supercapacitor cells were designed in the scoops of the study. When activation with KOH was used in addition to carbonization, there was an increase in the surface area and pore volume of the material, and the capacitance value of the electrodes increased from 15.75 F/g to 48.63 F/g at 1.0 A/g. When the pure material activated with H2SO4, the capacitance increased to 39.92 F/g and a high energy density of 7.05 Wh/kg was obtained as the potential operating range of the electrodes increased. As the electrodes were charged or discharged, their coulombic efficiency increased and the PS-H2SO4 electrode presented an excellent coulombic efficiency. It is tought that the created electrodes promise great potential for the energy storage in terms of cost, efficiency, capacity, and stability.