Highly efficient peanut shell activated carbon via hydrothermal carbonization and chemical activation for energy storage applications

In this study, the activated carbon samples from peanut shells (PS) are synthesized through hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) with and without activating agents, and their electrochemical properties are studied for supercapacitor applications. The raw precursor (PS) powder is loaded with an activating agent (ZnCl2 or H3PO4 or KOH) during the hydrothermal treatment at 200 °C for 7 h. The treatment with the activating agent facilitates the generation of oxygen-containing functional groups on the precursor surface, enhancing the porosity and electrochemical performance of the sample. Further, the samples are subjected to carbonization at 400 °C for 3 h. The powder XRD patterns show peaks at around 24–26° and 43°, corresponding to the amorphous and graphitic carbon, respectively. The morphological examination reveals more meso and macro pores when treated with the activating agent. Raman spectra manifest the amorphous carbon nature of the samples exhibiting ID and IG bands. The porous carbon treated with H3PO4 shows a specific surface area of 17.8 m2/g and a pore volume of 0.037 cm3g−1. The H3PO4 treated sample shows a high specific capacity (Cs) of 240 F/g at 1 A/g current density, an energy density (E) of 4.08 W h kg−1, and a power density (P) of 101.3 W kg−1. The Retention rate of the sample is approximately 90 % up to 1200 cycles. These types of hybrid supercapacitor materials are suitable for battery-type applications.