Effect of Thermal Activation on the Structure and Electrochemical Properties of Carbon Material Obtained from Walnut Shells.

A simple activation method has been used to obtain porous carbon material from walnut shells. The effect of the activation duration at 400 °C in an atmosphere with limited air access on the structural, morphological, and electrochemical properties of the porous carbon material obtained from walnut shells has been studied. Moreover, the structure and morphology of the original and activated carbon samples have been characterized by SAXS, low-temperature adsorption porosimetry, SEM, and Raman spectroscopy. Therefore, the results indicate that increasing the duration of activation at a constant temperature results in a reduction in the thickness values of interplanar spacing (d002) in a range of 0.38-0.36 nm and lateral dimensions of the graphite crystallite from 3.79 to 2.52 nm. It has been demonstrated that thermal activation allows for an approximate doubling of the specific SBET surface area of the original carbon material and contributes to the development of its mesoporous structure, with a relative mesopore content of approximately 75-78% and an average pore diameter of about 5 nm. The fractal dimension of the obtained carbon materials was calculated using the Frenkel-Halsey-Hill method; it shows that its values for thermally activated samples (2.52, 2.69) are significantly higher than for the original sample (2.17). Thus, the porous carbon materials obtained were used to fabricate electrodes for electrochemical capacitors. Electrochemical investigations of these cells in a 6 M KOH aqueous electrolyte were conducted by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge/discharge, and impedance spectroscopy. Consequently, it was established that the carbon material activated at 400 °C for 2 h exhibits a specific capacity of approximately 110-130 F/g at a discharge current density ranging from 4 to 100 mA/g.

Porous Structure and Fractal Dimensions of Activated Carbon Prepared from Waste Coffee Grounds.

The present work reports the results of a systematic study on the evolution of the morphological properties of porous carbons derived from coffee waste using a one-pot potassium-hydroxide-assisted process at temperatures in the range of 400-900 °C. Raw materials and obtained carbons were studied by TG, DTG, SEM and nitrogen adsorption porosimetry. The decomposition temperature ranges for hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin as the main component of the feedstock have been established. It is shown that the proposed method for the thermochemical treatment of coffee waste makes it possible to obtain activated carbon with a controllable pore size distribution and a high specific surface area (up to 1050 m2/g). A comparative study of the evolution of the distribution of pore size, pore area and pore volume has been carried out based on the BJH and NL-DFT (slit-like pores approximation) methods. The fractal dimension of the obtained carbons has been calculated by Frenkel-Halsey-Hill method for single-layer and multilayer adsorptions.

Structurally Dependent Electrochemical Properties of Ultrafine Superparamagnetic 'Core/Shell' γ-Fe2O3/Defective α-Fe2O3 Composites in Hybrid Supercapacitors.

The paper presents a method for obtaining electrochemically active ultrafine composites of iron oxides, superparamagnetic 'core/shell' γ-Fe2O3/defective α-Fe2O3, which involved modifying sol-gel citrate synthesis, hydrothermal treatment of the formed sol, and subsequent annealing of materials in the air. The synthesized materials' phase composition, magnetic microstructure, and structural, morphological characteristics have been determined via X-ray analysis, Mossbauer spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and adsorption porometry. The mechanisms of phase stability were analyzed, and the model was suggested as FeOOH → γ-Fe2O3 → α-Fe2O3. It was found that the presence of chelating agents in hydrothermal synthesis encapsulated the nucleus of the new phase in the reactor and interfered with the direct processes of recrystallization of the structure with the subsequent formation of the α-Fe2O3 crystalline phase. Additionally, the conductive properties of the synthesized materials were determined by impedance spectroscopy. The electrochemical activity of the synthesized materials was evaluated by the method of cyclic voltammetry using a three-electrode cell in a 3.5 M aqueous solution of KOH. For the ultrafine superparamagnetic 'core/shell' γ-Fe2O3/defective α-Fe2O composite with defective hematite structure and the presence of ultra-dispersed maghemite with particles in the superparamagnetic state was fixed increased electrochemical activity, and specific discharge capacity of the material is 177 F/g with a Coulomb efficiency of 85%. The prototypes of hybrid supercapacitor with work electrodes based on ultrafine composites superparamagnetic 'core/shell' γ-Fe2O3/defective α-Fe2O3 have a specific discharge capacity of 124 F/g with a Coulomb efficiency of 93% for current 10 mA.

Ultrasonic modification of carbon materials for electrochemical capacitors.

The paper is devoted to study the ultrasonic impact on the biomass of natural raw materials, which were used for the creation a nanoporous carbon material (NCM), which was used as electrode material for electrochemical capacitors (EC). The dry shells of apricot seeds were a feedstock, which were modified by the chemical treatment in the phosphoric acid and part of them were impacted by ultrasonic waves for 25 minutes. The NCM, which were obtained by carbonization at 550 °C, were modified by chemical treatment in the nitric acid. Thus, the different of modification NCM was obtained to compare their capacitance characteristics for EC. From experimental data we can do a conclusion, that ultrasonic modification and chemical treatment in nitric acidare improvecapacitance characteristics of NCM for EC.

Electrochemical Properties of Nanoporous Carbon Material in Aqueous Electrolytes.

The paper is devoted to the study of the behavior of capacitor type electrochemical system in the К(+)-containing aqueous electrolytes. Nanoporous carbon material (NCM) was used as the electrode material, obtained by carbonization of plant raw materials with the following chemical activation. Optimization of pore size distribution was carried out by chemical-thermal method using potassium hydroxide as activator. It is shown that obtained materials have high values of capacitance which is realized by charge storage on the electrical double layer and by pseudocapacitive ion storage on the surface of the material. It is established that based on NCM, electrochemical capacitors are stable in all range of current density and material capacity essentially depends on appropriate choice of electrolyte.

Thermochemically activated carbon as an electrode material for supercapacitors.

The results of electrochemical studies of nanoporous carbon as electrode material for electrochemical capacitors (EC) are presented in this work. Nanoporous carbon material (NCM) was obtained from the raw materials of plant origin by carbonization and subsequent activation in potassium hydroxide. It is established that there is an optimal ratio of 1:1 between content of KOH and carbon material at chemical activation, while the maximum specific capacity of NCM is 180 F/g. An equivalent electrical circuit, which allows modeling of the impedance spectra in the frequency range of 10(-2) to 10(5) Hz, is proposed, and a physical interpretation of each element of the electrical circuit is presented.