LAUSR

Nanoarchitectonics of nanoporous carbon materials (NCMs) derived from natural resource; Areca Catechu Nut (ACN) with enhanced electrochemical supercapacitance properties is reported. ACN powder is chemically activated in a tubular furnace at 400 °C and the effect of activating agent sodium hydroxide (NaOH), zinc chloride (ZnCl2) and phosphoric acid (H3PO4) on the textural properties, surface functional groups and electrochemical supercapacitance properties was thoroughly examined. We found that ACN derived NCMs are amorphous in nature comprising of macropores, micropores and hierarchical micro- and mesopore architecture depending on the activating agent. Surface area and pore volume are found in the range 25–1985 m2 g−1 and 0.12–3.42 cm3 g−1, respectively giving the best textural properties for H3PO4 activated NCM. Nevertheless, despite the different chemical activating agent used, all the prepared NCMs showed similar oxygen-containing surface functional groups (carboxyl, carboxylate, carbonyl and phenolic groups). The H3PO4 activated NCM showed excellent supercapacitance properties giving a high specific capacitance of ca. 342 F g−1 at a scan rate of 5 mV s−1 together with the high cyclic stability sustaining capacitance retention of about 97% after 5000 charging/discharging cycles. Electrochemical supercapacitance properties have demonstrated that the ACN derived novel nanoporous carbon material would be a potential material in energy storage application.