Carbon fibers from banana trunk biowaste coated with metallic nanoparticles as electrode material

Abstract

The processing of banana trunk biowaste is a significant environmental concern, and its conversion and valorization could be beneficial for energy applications. This work proposes a novel strategy to convert banana trunk bio waste into uniform carbon fibers and subsequently coated with gold (Au), silver (Ag), cerium oxide (CeO2), cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4), and gold/magnetite (Au/Fe3O4) nanoparticles. The preliminary electrochemical properties were measured using a cyclic voltammetry (CV) method. Our results reveal a higher distinguishable redox peak and response current of the carbon fibers coated with Ag and Au nanoparticles than bare carbon fibers. The structural and electrochemical properties are enhanced due to the high content of oxygen functionalities over the carbon fibers and a synergistic behavior with the metallic nanoparticles. The advantage of this work is the use of a simple, scalable method to transform banana trunk bio waste into carbon fibers as a promising electrode material. Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]