Electrochemical performance of electrochemical capacitors prepared with activated carbons from sugarcane bagasse

Cardenas-Riojas A.A.; Gualdron-Plata A.P.; Pastor E.; Martins V.L.; Baena-Moncada A.M. · New Journal of Chemistry (2026) · DOI: 10.1039/d5nj04251h

Resumen

Sugarcane bagasse waste was valorized as a precursor to synthesize activated carbon (AC) for supercapacitor electrodes. The ACs were prepared using H3PO4 (1–4 mol L−1) followed by thermal treatment at 700 °C, yielding AC-1, AC-2, and AC-4. Among them, AC-4 exhibited the best electrochemical performance. SEM and TEM analyses showed a rough, porous morphology with a surface area of 790.5 m2 g−1, micropore area of 497.7 m2 g−1, and micropore volume of 0.23 cm3 g−1. FTIR, Raman, and XPS revealed functional groups and aromatic structures enhancing conductivity and electrolyte interaction. AC-4 showed moderate structural disorder with balanced graphitic/amorphous phases. In a three-electrode cell, it delivered a specific capacitance of 266 F g−1, while in a coin cell, it reached 33.9 F g−1 at 0.1 A g−1. It retained 82.41% capacitance after 14 500 cycles and achieved 267.69 W kg−1 power and 1.15 Wh kg−1 energy density, confirming its promise for sustainable energy storage. This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 2026

Instituciones: Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería