Electrode of supercapacitor synthesized from leaf bunch of oil palm for enhancing capacitive properties

Supercapacitor electrodes made from leaf bunch of oil palm were prepared by carbonization and activation process which consist of several steps such as pre-carbonization, milling, sieving, chemical activation, pelletization, and carbonization-physical activation. Chemical activation was performed by 0.4 M KOH, meanwhile carbonization and physical activation were used N2 and CO2 gas. The physical properties of electrodes analyzed are density, degree of crystallinity, surface morphology, and surface area while the electrochemical properties are focused on the analysis of specific capacitance of the supercapacitor cell using cyclic voltammetry method. XRD pattern indicates the crystallinity of the electrodes is amorphous structures. The SEM micrographs clearly exhibit electrode surface morphology that is quite smooth and regular with fine particles that are spread evenly on the surface of the electrode. The physical properties of the activated carbon electrodes are correlated in generating the optimum conditions of the specific capacitance of supercapacitor cells. The optimum specific capacitance was obtained as high as 52 F g-1 with a specific surface area of 639.836 m2 g-1.