Striking performance of plasma-synthesized carbon from Prosopis juliflora in a supercapacitor application

Carbon-based materials exhibit excellent electrochemical properties and are an attractive electrode material for supercapacitor (SC) applications. In the present work, the transformation of carbon from the bark of Prosopis juliflora is a cost-effective method and is attained by plasma synthesis without any chemical activation, with the potential for prospective large-scale production. The degree of graphitization present in the sample is verified by structural characterizations (x-ray powder diffraction and Raman). The plasma carbon offers a porous structure and an average pore diameter of 3.928 nm. As a result, the prepared plasma carbon coated on a Ni foam current collector shows a specific capacitance of 193 Fg(-1) (current density of 1 Ag-1) in a three-electrode configuration. A fabricated symmetric device based on the plasma carbon exhibits an energy density of 22 Whkg(-1) at a power density of 600 Wkg(-1). This study demonstrates the possibility of converting inexpensive and earth-abundant biomass materials into high value-added plasma carbon for SC applications.

Automated summary

This study demonstrates the potential of plasma carbon synthesized from bark of Prosopis juliflora as an electrode material for supercapacitor applications. The plasma carbon exhibits excellent electrochemical properties and a porous structure, resulting in high specific capacitance and energy density in different device configurations.