A study on activated carbon from Borassus flabellifer shell by chemical activation with potassium hydroxide for supercapacitor

Abstract

The supercapacitor is significant in daily life. It is an alternative option that can storage energy. This research focused on studying the effect of Potassium hydroxide concentration content increasing surface area of the Borassus flabellifer shell charcoal (BFC), power density and energy density of activated carbon as electrode and cycles. Borassus flabellifer shell as agricultural waste was carbonized with tube furnace at nitrogen atmosphere by heated at 400 °C for 1 hour. Activated carbon with KOH (the mass ratio of KOH: BFC; 1:1, 1:2, 1:3, 4:1 and 5:1) (BAC) was heated at 900 °C for 2 hours. The results of the research show that suitable concentration of KOH: BFC to activated with higher pore volume and higher surface area. BAC- 5 (5:1) is the highest pore volume of 1679.61 m 2 /g and the highest pore volume of 0.737 (cm 3 /g) but BAC-4 (4:1) is the best because it has a similar surface area and is economical, the highest pore volume of 1607.092 m 2 /g and the highest pore volume of 0.686 (cm 3 /g). BAC-1, BAC-2, BAC-3, BAC-4 and BAC-5 have average pore diameters, respectively, around of 1.609 nm., 1.641 nm., 1.742 nm., 1.708 nm. and 1.754 nm. The average pore size of products is microporous.