Chemical and structural optimization of ZnCl2 activated carbons via high temperature CO2 treatment for EDLC applications

Development of biomass based activated carbon materials for electrical double layer capacitor (EDLC) usage has gained attention as a result of requesting efficient and low cost energy storage device production. In this study, pine cone based activated carbons were produced with a combined chemical and physical activation route. ZnCl2 and CO2 were used for chemical and physical activation of the material, respectively. Activation parameters are adjusted to give different chemical and textural characteristics. FTIR and Raman spectroscopies were used for functional group identification and structural order characterization, respectively. As a result, efficient active materials for EDLC usage were obtained, with as high as 87 F/g specific capacitance in organic electrolytes.