Thermally Stabilized Soot for Supercapacitors

Abstract

Soot is used as an electrode material for possible supercapacitance applications. The carbonaceous product is collected from a domestic heating system and possesses a naturally developed high surface area, which is one of the key requirements for such applications. The low‐molecular‐weight compounds in the soot are evaporated and carbonized by heat treatment of the samples in the range 400–800 °C. The heating at different temperatures causes different degrees of carbonization, functional groups removal, and samples’ stabilization. The capacitance is compared of prototypes with electrodes made from materials treated at different temperatures. The prototype samples are investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy, revealing sequentially removed functional groups and a variety of carbon structures, such as graphene sheets, monocrystalline carbon particles, and onion‐like structures.

Transforming Chimney Soot via Stochastic Polymerization for Active Electrode Coating

“…Similar behavior at low velocities of the potential unfolding when conducting CV was also observed in our previous studies of thermally treated soot material. [10] The presence of the cathodic peak was due to both the oxygen evolution reaction, which was a consequence of the use of an aqueous electrolyte, and the reduction of chlorine to chloride ion [51]. Due to the unsatisfactory specific electrochemical characteristics of the material investigated in an alkaline electrolyte (6M KOH), more in-depth studies of different electrolyte conditions are planned.…”

“…and natural sources (forest fires) is responsible for the formation and emission of more than 8 Tg of soot annually into the atmosphere [2][3][4][5][6][7]. With a more than 80% contribution, elemental carbon is the main constituent of soot particles regardless of the source [8][9][10]. The processes of the formation of soot, which passes roughly through four stages, i.e., from precursor formation to aggregate formation, have been the subject of many notable studies, summarized in a recent review article by Martin J. et al [9].…”

“…To these amounts of soot as waste material must be added those obtained during the incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons in households. The study of the physicochemical properties of soot and the produced materials from them is of great importance for establishing their true value for practical applications, since a key point in the conceptual model of a circular economy is the successful application of waste materials as useful ones [3,5,10,15].…”

“…Although soot (as carbon black) has been widely used as a component in inks since ancient times [16], a recent review focused on the currently known applications of recycled soot [17] suggests the enormous, still-untapped potential of this abundant waste material. To the soot applications discussed by Uttaravalli et al [17], some other studies on soot as a material for anti-bio-adhesion behavior coatings [18], as super hydrophobic coatings [19], and also some experimental attempts for soot to be used as supercapacitor electrodes [10,20,21] should be added. Functionalized candle soot is used to improve Raman sensing properties for active SERS (surface-enhanced Raman scattering) substrates [22].…”