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Synthesis of Porous Carbon from Packaging Waste for 3D Printed Energy Devices

Faculty #59
Discipline: Nanoscience
Subcategory: STEM Research
- Tuskegee University
Co-Author(s): Mohanad Idrees, Syed Ahmed, Naga Korivi, and Shaik Jeelani, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL



The growth of portable consumer electronics has led to a tremendous demand for high-performance energy storage devices. Supercapacitors have gained attention for its fast charging time, long cycle-lives, wide range operating temperature, and meeting environmental standards. The objective of this study is to synthesize activated porous carbon from packaging waste material and develop a simple supercapacitor device using 3D printing technique. Packaging waste was carbonized at 500°C at autogenic pressure. This carbon was further reacted with Na(OH) at ratios of 2 and 4 and at 700°C to produce activated carbon. The resulting carbon was characterized using BET, Raman, XRD, and SEM. The printable carbon paste/ink was prepared by mixing the activated carbon with PVA/ H3PO4 electrolyte at a ratio of 1:2. Using predesigned CAD model, the electrodes were printed with VOL-25 printer head commonly used for printing of pastes. After the first electrode is printed, thin electrolyte film was placed on its top and then the second electrode is printed. Printed devices were allowed to dry before their removal from the substrate. 3D printed devices were characterized for their charge-discharge performance. Activated carbon has shown BET surface area of 903 m2/g and pore volume of 0.5195 cc/g, which is close to commercial activated carbon. XRD and Raman have shown increased graphitization. Printed devices have shown specific capacitance of 29 F/g and power density of 750 W/Kg at a current density of 2.5 mA/ cm2.Two devices connected in series were successfully able to light up an LED for 25 Seconds. Packaging waste is a promising source of high quality activated carbon. 3D printed devices have shown excellent performance, suggesting additive manufacturing is a promising technique for fabrication of versatile energy devices for portable consumer electronics.

Funder Acknowledgement(s): NSF-CREST, NSFRISE, NSF-DMR-MRI

Faculty Advisor: None Listed,

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This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under Grant No. DUE-1930047. Any opinions, findings, interpretations, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of its authors and do not represent the views of the AAAS Board of Directors, the Council of AAAS, AAAS’ membership or the National Science Foundation.

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