Zinc oxide-doped carbon aerogel derived from bagasse cellulose/sodium alginate/zinc nitrate composite for dye adsorption, storage energy and electrochemical sensing

BACKGROUNDFollowing the trend of green and sustainable development, multi-application materials utilizing biomass waste have been developed, leading that trend is carbon aerogel (CA). In this study, zinc oxide-doped CA was synthesized from bagasse cellulose (Zn-BCA) through simple processes: Cross-linking to form a sol-gel system, freeze-drying, and pyrolysis. To synthesize suitable materials, precursor and crosslinking ratios, the content of Zn2+, and pyrolysis temperature in N-2 were investigated. The characteristics of ZnO were investigated through modern methods: Scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The dye adsorption capacity of Zn-BCA was evaluated through the UV-Vis method. Furthermore, the electrochemical properties are shown through cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge-discharge, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy results, and glucose sensing results were obtained through linear sweep voltammetry.RESULTSZn-BCA shows potential for multiple applications with crystal violet pigment adsorption capacity up to 39 mg/g, specific capacitance reaching 164 F/g, and glucose sensing capabilities.CONCLUSIONThus, Zn-BCA shows wide applicability in adsorbents and electrode materials, in addition to using bagasse biomass as green precursor to synthesize materials. (c) 2023 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI).

Automated summary

In this study, zinc oxide-doped carbon aerogel (Zn-BCA) was synthesized from bagasse cellulose. The characteristics of ZnO were investigated, and the dye adsorption capacity, specific capacitance, and glucose sensing capabilities of Zn-BCA were evaluated. The results showed that Zn-BCA has high potential for multiple applications.