The Effect of Microwave Irradiation on the Synthesis of Graphene from Battery Waste on Capacitance Properties

Abstract

Supercapacitor material is an alternative in energy storage. Supercapacitors are charge storage devices that have a high energy density, fast charge/discharge rates, long service life, wide operating temperature range, and are environmentally friendly. Graphene is a nanomaterial that can be used as a supercapacitor because it has high conductivity and a large surface area, but graphene can experience agglomeration so it can affect its capacitance properties. The microwave-assisted method can be used in the synthesis of graphene. Several microwave-based techniques are becoming more popular for producing graphene and altering it. Due to its quick, precise, uniform, and volumetric heating, microwave heating is a promising method for the thermochemical treatment and reduction of graphene oxide to graphene. This research aimed to examine the effect of microwave irradiation time on the capacitive properties of graphene synthesis as a supercapacitor. Graphene oxide (GO) can be reduced into graphene quickly and easily using microwave pulses lasting 15 to 30 minutes to produce high-quality graphene fabrication. The characterization test was performed using UV-Vis, FTIR, SEM-EDX and cyclic voltammetry (CV). As a result, the optimum time is 25 minutes, and it showed an absorption peak at the 282 nm wavelength dan the CV analysis showed that the graphene has double capacitor properties with a specific capacitance of 140.7 F/g in 20 mV/s. Besides, the result of SEM indicated that graphene could be formed successfully. Its potential applications are also illustrated by emphasizing its usage as electrode material. Finally, its main challenges and prospects are considerably pointed out.