Study of the electrochemical performance of Zanthoxylum armatum seed-derived potassium hydroxide-assisted activated carbon as a negatrode material for supercapacitor applications

Abstract

With the rampant increase of the wearable electronics domain, there is an urgent need for the development of sustainable, cost-effective, and durable energy storage devices utilizing bio-waste materials. Supercapacitors are the promising energy storage solution among the various energy storage devices. In this work, Zanthoxylum armatum seed-based activated carbon has been prepared by precarbonization at 280 °C followed by potassium hydroxide (KOH)-assisted carbonization at 900 °C under a nitrogen atmosphere. The as-prepared activated carbon was tested with various physicochemical and electrochemical techniques to assess its suitability as a negative electrode for supercapacitor applications. The Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface analysis revealed that the KOH-activated Z. armatum (KZAC) carbon material exhibited a specific surface area of 554.10 m² g⁻¹. The results show 148.08 F g⁻¹ specific capacitance at 0.5 A g⁻¹ current density with excellent capacitance retention, making it a promising material for negative electrode fabrication.