The Physical and Electrochemical Properties of Activated Carbon Electrode Derived from Pineapple Leaf Waste for Supercapacitor Applications

Abstract

This study aims to the physical and electrochemical properties of the supercapacitor carbon electrodes derived from pineapple leaf waste. The production of carbon electrodes was conducted using combinations of chemical activation, carbonization, and physical activation. The chemical activation was carried out using a 0.9 M KOH activator. The carbonization and physical activation were conducted using a one-step process. The PAL-AC electrode was obtained showed porosity in the mesoporous range, large pore volume, and high specific surface area. The surface morphology of the PAL-AC electrode is dominated by carbon and nanofibers particles. The nanofibers diameter based on the SEM micrograph is in the range of 44-137 nm. Elemental contents of the PAL-AC electrode are dominated by carbon and oxygen with an atomic percentage of 86.03% and 9.49%, respectively. The XRD pattern of the PAL-AC electrode shows the presence of two wide peaks at scattering angle of 23° and 45°. The specific capacitance of the PAL-AC electrode as high as 127 F g⁻¹ in 6 M KOH electrolyte solution using two-electrode configuration. The pineapple leaf waste based-carbon electrodes show promising potential for use as supercapacitor electrodes.