Effect of oxidative acid treatment on the biocarbon materials synthesized from seaweed (Gracilaria edulis) biomass for supercapacitor applications
摘要
The oxidative acid treatment on pristine biocarbon (derived from Gracilaria edulis seaweed biomass) was performed using concentrated hydrochloric acid (HCl), nitric acid (HNO3), sulfuric acid (H2SO4), and hydrofluoric acid (HF) to investigate their impact on its physicochemical properties and capacitive performances. The physicochemical properties of acid treated biocarbons were identified by Fourier transform spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Bet surface area (BET) analysis. Acid treatment removes the mineral impurities of biocarbons and creates pores, which enhancements their specific surface area. In addition, acid treatment also introduces new functional groups to biocarbons, which are the pathway for the electrolyte wettability and hence better ionic mobility. The biocarbon material treated with hydrofluoric acid (HF) showed larger specific surface area of 1250 m2 g− 1 and the highest specific capacitance of 158 F g− 1 at 1 A g− 1 using 1 M KOH as electrolyte. Additionally, it also exhibits a specific energy of 5.38 Wh kg− 1 at a specific power of 495.39 W kg− 1.