Sago waste based activated carbon film as an electrode material for electric double layer capacitor

Abstract

In this feasibility study a novel prospective electrode material for electric double layer capacitors (EDLC) has been investigated. This promising material is activated carbon (AC) film produced using sago waste as a precursor. Important parameters of the technological process are the KOH to charcoal ratio and the content of the polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) binder. The influence of these parameters on the microtexture and pore structure and on the electrochemical characteristics of the AC films has been studied in detail. The measured specific surface area (SSA) of the samples is in the range from 212 to 1498 m2/g. It has been found that the presence of micropores increases the specific capacity while the presence of the mesopores acts in the opposite direction, because these mesopores are too wide in diameter for aqueous electrolyte. The specific capacitance of the studied samples has been found to be in the range from 16 to 64 F/g. © Aripin et al.