Activated Cashew Carbon-Manganese Oxide Based Electrodes for Supercapacitor Applications

Abstract

The current global energy challenge which affects most developing countries in particular, is of major source of concern today. The availability of less expensive techniques of storing excess generated energy is critical to the success of the renewable energy roadmaps implementation. In this study, hydrothermal and chemical leaching methods have been used to synthesize MnO2 nanoparticles using KMnO4 and MnSO4 as precursors at 140 °C and from natural local manganese ore. Activated Carbon (ACF) have also been produced from agricultural Cashew biomass waste, through a physical carbonization and KOH activation process using temperatures of 700 °C – 900 °C for periods between 1-2 hours. The as-prepared materials have been characterized via XRD, Raman, FTIR, SEM. Electrochemical performance measurements (CV, EIS and GCD) were carried out on the prepared electrodes. The specific capacitance values obtained were in the range of 2.8 F/g - 6.5 F/g at different scan rates of 20 mV -50 mV respectively in a potential range of -0.4 to +0.4 V and -0.4 to +0.6 V for the various types of electrodes.