Browsing by Author "King'ondu, Cecil K"

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    Fish bladder-based activated carbon/Co3O4/TiO2 composite electrodes for supercapacitors
    (Elsevier, 2019) Sirengo, Keith; Jande, Yusufu Abeid Chande; Kibona, Talam Enock; Hilonga, Askwar; Muiva, Cosmas; King'ondu, Cecil K
    Cobalt oxide/titanium dioxide/activated carbon (Co3O4/TiO2/Ac) composite was synthesized using simple sol-gel method before annealing at 300 °C. Fish bladder derived porous carbon used for the composite was synthesized by pyrolysis followed by chemical activation. Both scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction displayed Co3O4 and TiO2 phases well embedded onto the carbon matrices. Cyclic voltammetry in 6 M KOH electrolyte demonstrated that the composite has an excellent specific capacity of 946 Fg-1 for Co3O4/TiO2/Ac as compared to Co3O4/Ac, TiO2/Ac, and Ac with specific capacitances of 845, 340, and 308 F g−1, respectively at 5 mVs−1. Impedance spectroscopy reveals that the composite has good capacitive behavior with a series resistance of 0.6 Ω. Besides, Co3O4/TiO2/Ac maintains 89.7% of the initial capacitance after 2000 cycles. This study shows that the synergistic effect of the metal oxides and the carbon in the composite can enhance capacitance for practical supercapacitor applications.
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    Highly mesoporous Parinari Curatellifolia carbon nanomaterials for supercapacitors
    (Elsevier, 2020-04-01) Kibona, Talam Enock; Achola, Laura; Kerns, Peter; Macharia, John; King'ondu, Cecil K; Suib, Steven
    High surface area nanostructured electrodes are essential for understanding charge storage mechanisms in high capacitance supercapacitors. Additionally, a growing number of studies provide credible evidence that the highest capacitance in carbon nanomaterials is attainable only when the pore size is in micropore range. In this study therefore, micropore-dominatedcarbon materials derived from Parinari curatellifolia (PC) waste seeds are prepared via pyrolysis and subsequent chemical activation with KOH. SEM, EDAX, TEM, Raman, and XRD studies show that the microstructure and composition of the as-prepared microporous carbon materials are influenced by adjusting the KOH to carbon mass ratio. Sorption studies demonstrate a very high BET surface area of 1898 m2 g−1, type I isotherm, and 99% micropore content in all the samples. The BET surface area, S, V, and total volume increased with increasing KOH content during activation. The fabricated electrodes exhibit high specific capacitances of 423 F g−1 at 5 mV s−1 and cyclic stability of 98% after 50000 cycles both of which are indicative of our carbon materials huge potential in making high performance supercapacitors. The specific capacitance increased with the micropore content in the samples signifying that the pores enhanced diffusion and hence the charge storage. The PC carbon materials deliver high specific capacitance due to the enhancement of diffusion and charge storage stemming from the synergetic interplay of the aforementioned textural parameters. The PC carbon materials therefore provide good prospects for supercapacitor applications.