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Updated: Jul 4, 2026
Evaluating the Electrochemical Properties of Supercapacitors using the Three-Electrode System
Published on: January 7, 2022
Biomass-derived activated carbon from peanut shells integrated with MgO/SiO2/GO nanocomposites for high-performance
C Priya Dharshini1, A Saranya1, S Esakki Muthu2,3
1Department of Physics, Centre for Thermal Management, Vel Tech Rangarajan Dr Sagunthala R&D Institute of Science and Technology Chennai - 600 062 Tamil Nadu India vtd1371@veltech.edu.in saran.amirth@gmail.com.
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Next-generation energy storage systems demand advanced electrode materials that offer both high performance and long-term sustainability. Binary (MgO/SiO2) and ternary (MgO/SiO2/GO) nanocomposites prepared in the current work were used to investigate the suitability of these materials as electrode materials for supercapacitors with a view towards embedding biomass-derived carbon (BDC) obtained from peanut shells (Arachis hypogaea L.), which were activated using NaOH; thereby producing activated carbon (AC) of peanut shells (AC) peanut shells are renewable carbon matrices with good porosity for ion dispersion and charge storage. The ternary MgO/SiO2/GO system exhibited both redox activity and mechanical integrity, which were investigated, and the incorporated GO offered increased surface area and electrical conductivity. Structural and morphological (XRD, SEM, FTIR spectroscopy and XPS) analyses confirmed the formation of porous nanocomposites. The ternary MgO/SiO2/GO-AC electrode showed a better capacitive performance than that of the binary MgO/SiO2-AC electrode when evaluated in an aqueous three-electrode configuration. Cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements were performed. The ternary composite supercapacitor electrode showed an extraordinary specific capacitance of 473 F g-1 (scan rate at 10 mV s-1) and a current density of 482 F g-1 at 1 A g-1 in a 6 M KOH electrolyte, which was higher than that of the binary nanocomposites (NCs). In addition, it revealed 94.14% capacity retention and over 95% coulombic efficiency along with an outstanding cycling stability up to 5000 GCD cycles. The MgO/SiO2/GO electrode exhibited a high specific capacitance of 482 F g-1 at 1 A g-1, providing a high energy density of 67 Wh kg-1 at a power density of 2415 W kg-1, with good retention at higher power densities. Consequently, the MgO/SiO2/GO-AC electrode exhibits potential for application in high-performance electrochemical supercapacitors in the near future.
