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Updated: Feb 27, 2026

Evaluating the Electrochemical Properties of Supercapacitors using the Three-Electrode System

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Coin-Cell Electric Double-Layer Capacitors with African Palm Kernel Activated Carbon Under Series and Parallel

Chelsy Gaviria¹, Zulamita Zapata-Benabithe¹, José Valentín Restrepo^2,3

¹Grupo de Energía y Termodinámica, Escuela de Ingenierías, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Medellín 050031, Colombia.

Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland)

|February 26, 2026

Abstract:

The growing demand for efficient and sustainable energy storage has intensified interest in green materials known for their high-power density. In this work, we evaluated the electrochemical and electrical performance of coin-cell supercapacitors with activated carbon electrodes from palm kernel shell. Two activated carbons were obtained using KOH and ZnCl₂ as activating agents at 700 °C and then superficially modified with nitric acid. The KOH-activated carbon electrodes showed the highest specific surface area (1181 m² g^-1) and the best electrochemical behavior, reaching an average gravimetric capacitance of 56. ± 9.2 F g^-1. The coins were characterized electrically by series and parallel arrangements, yielding specific energy and specific power densities of 2.6 Wh kg^-1 and 475 W kg^-1, and 1.8 Wh kg^-1 and 353 W kg^-1, at 0.001 A and 0.75 V for parallel and series arrangements, respectively.

Keywords:

carbonaceous materials storage energy ultracaps

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