Scalable synthesis of graphitized carbon powder from Prosopis juliflora and its supercapacitve performance

Abstract Herein, we report a scalable synthesis of 3D porous graphitized carbon power (GC) using the one-step carbonization and activation of Prosopis juliflora for symmetric supercapacitor applications. Electron-microscopy (SEM and TEM) showed the optimized GC forms a 3D-foam cluster morphology with a maximum surface area of ∼1183 m2g–1, which induces rapid charge transfer reactions. The GC exhibit a prominent Raman 2D peak at ∼2670 cm−1. The electrochemical performance of the GC has been compared with commercially available carbon for the first-time. The GC showed an exceptional half-cell specific capacitance of ∼415 Fg–1 at 1 Ag–1 and the commercial carbon sample delivered ∼270 Fg–1 at 1 Ag–1, which is very high compared to other reported porous carbon materials obtained from biomass. The GC delivered ∼50% higher power and >90% capacitance retention when compared to the commercial carbon sample with an energy density of ∼47 Whkg−1 and power density of ∼49 kWkg−1. Thus, the GC electrode material is a green, sustainable, and alternative electrode for use in high energy supercapacitor applications.