High capacitive pt and NiOx loaded supercapacitors with commercial and green synthesized carbon-based materials

Abstract

Supercapacitors have gained great interest due to their high-power energy density, suitability for clean energy and energy storage applications. In this study, we used commercial multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT), polypyrrole (PPy) and synthesized porous carbon (PC) from Astragalus brachycalyx plant as supporting materials to prepare Pt-NiOx/PPy-MWCNT and Pt-NiOx/PC electrodes by a straightforward method and tested their electrochemical properties for supercapacitor applications. X-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) were employed to characterize synthesized electrodes. The XRD results confirmed the composition and crystalline structure of related materials in the Pt-NiOx/PPy-MWCNT and Pt-NiOx/PC electrodes. While the MWCNT supporting materials with PPy exhibited filled rod like structure, PC supporting materials showed porous surfaces according to SEM images. The EDS analysis approved chemical composition of the Pt-NiOx/PPy-MWCNT and Pt-NiOx/PC depending on their ingredients. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurements were used to characterize capacitor behaviors of the electrode materials in a Swagelok-type cell. The Pt-NiOx/PPy-MWCNT and Pt-NiOx/PC materials displayed 252.36 F/g and 390.97 F/g capacitance values, respectively. The electrochemical experiments revealed that the synthesized materials can be used as energy storage electrode materials for supercapacitor applications.