CARBON MATERIAL DERIVED FROM WASTE PAPER AS CARBON SOURCE AND ITS POTENTIAL AS ELECTRODE

Abstract

Waste papers can be as alternative precursors of carbon material as these wastes are easily available, recyclable resources and the compositions are mainly cellulose, a natural polymer. The chemical bonding states of carbon material’s surfaces were investigated by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. The result revealed that C-O of the polymeric of cellulose, vibrations of C-O-C of glycosidic bonds, C = C and CH₂ group present. The synthesis route is accomplished by the sol gel technology that involved gel preparation, gel aging and gel drying as general steps where the polymer made up the frameworks of gel. The usage of supercritical drying and ambient pressure drying were implemented in the drying process. The morphology of newspaper-based carbon material is the mixture of cylindrical cube like form and irregular shaped. Carbon material from office paper has the texture of cubes and undefined shaped and samples from magazine paper shows the images of not uniform shape. The average particles size of all carbon materials is 10 - 50 µm when examined by Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy. Besides, the density of the carbon material is 0.42- 0.83 g/cm³. The carbon material in made into a carbon electrode prepared from supercritical drying (SCD) has the specific capacitance (38.46 Fg-1) with the scan rate 30 mV/s by Cyclic Voltammetry. The voltammograms showed some electrochemical properties in low potential window compared to graphite as working electrode due to high resistance of low surface area and conductivity of carbon material. Electrode prepared from supercritical drying method has high specific capacitance than electrode prepared from ambience pressure drying technique. The electrochemical properties of the electrode from SCD method is enhanced compared to electrode prepared from ambience pressure drying. The properties was measured by the detection by current in a low amount from the interaction of ions occured between the bulks of electrolyte with the surface of electrode. This is due to high value of specific capacitant and the surface area of electrode produced from electrode prepared by supercritical drying method compared to electrode prepared from ambience pressure drying technique.