Preparation of Porous Activated Carbon and Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes from Pongamia pinnata Biomass for Sustainable Supercapacitor Applications

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🔬研究者:Materials scientists working on biomass-derived carbon for supercapacitors will find the synthesis route and electrochemical data useful.

The sustainable production of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and activated carbon from renewable Pongamia pinnata biomass precursors for high-performance supercapacitor applications is presented in this work. MWCNTs were synthesized using the methyl ester of Pongamia pinnata oil over Fe–Co–Mo/Al₂O₃ catalysts via spray pyrolysis at 650 °C under a nitrogen atmosphere, while activated carbon was prepared from Pongamia pinnata shell waste using ammonium persulfate-assisted sulfuric acid activation. A highly porous adsorbent structure was successfully developed, as evidenced by the produced activated carbons' favorable physicochemical properties, which included a BET surface area of 599. 70 m² g⁻¹ porosity of 0.599 iodine number of 579 mg g⁻¹ and high carbon yield of 58%. The coexistence of micro- and mesoporous architectures with an average pore diameter of 26.024 Å was confirmed by pore size distribution analysis, which is advantageous for electrochemical energy storage applications. SEM and HRTEM morphological characterization of the synthesized MWCNTs showed dense networks of well-graphitized multi-layered tubular nanostructures with interlayer spacing of roughly 0. 34 nm and outer diameters ranging from 14 to 25 nm. Raman spectroscopy's distinctive D, G, and G′ bands provided additional evidence that graphitic carbon nanotubes were formed. Cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge-discharge, and Ragone plot analysis were used to assess the electrochemical performance of the produced MWCNT/Carbon Black composite electrode in 0. 5 M Na₂SO₄ electrolyte. With a high specific capacitance of roughly 190 F g⁻¹ at low current densities and good capacitance retention at higher current densities, the electrode demonstrated outstanding electric double-layer capacitive behavior. Additionally, the device demonstrated exceptional power capability and charge-discharge reversibility with a maximum energy density of roughly 46 Wh L⁻¹. The synergistic interaction between the conductive MWCNT framework and porous carbon architecture, which promotes quick electron transport and effective ion diffusion, is responsible for the improved electrochemical performance. The findings show that for advanced supercapacitor electrode applications, carbon materials derived from Pongamia pinnata provide an affordable, renewable, and ecologically sustainable substitute.

• openalex https://doi.org/10.13074/jamp.2026.06.262009first seen 2026-07-27 05:06:41