Bio-templated carbon with high electrical conductivity for supercapacitor applications

Bio-carbons possess few notable intrinsic properties such as natural abundance, accessibility, and physically templated resources with high porosity which energy storage devices require. This study looks at the functional bio-carbons prepared from Parthenium hysterophorus (leaves), Parthenium (flowers), Hybanthus, and Saccharum spontaneum plants as well as their energy storage capabilities. Physically activated bio-carbon materials were heated to 600 °C to produce ultrafine black powders with an amorphous nature as studied by XRD analysis. Porous yet well-connected morphology is understood from the FE-SEM analysis for all the samples which is a crucial factor for high charge transfer kinetics across the electrode. Analysis of BJH pore size, pore volume, and BET data confirms the degree of porosity in the material, revealing well-distributed mesopores with an average size of 20 nm and a surface area measuring 135 m² g⁻¹. Furthermore, the considerable electrochemical characteristics of these carbon compounds are advantageous when viewed alongside similar materials of this type. P, PH, SS, and H have specific capacitance values of 597 F g⁻¹, 423 F g⁻¹, 530 F g⁻¹, and 635 F g⁻¹ accordingly. At room temperature, the activated carbon also had a strong electrical conductivity of roughly 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹, which is required by commercial electrode materials to have superior rate capability.