Date of Award

8-18-2023

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Chemistry

First Advisor

Noureen Siraj

Abstract

The use of fossil fuels has played a pivotal role in the evolution of energy storage devices and the generation of electricity. With that, we have now entered an era in which we have become primarily dependent on these non-renewable resources which have become increasingly scarce overtime. This has driven us toward a pertinent demand for alternative sources of energy. There are various forms of alternative energy in which biomass is the most used. Carbon is becoming the most commonly used material for energy applications due to its versatility and bioavailability, including that which is sourced from biomass. Herein is the discussion of a series of exploratory approaches that were made to synthesize and optimize carbon-based supercapacitor materials. Heteroatom doping induces the conductivity in carbons that are otherwise non-conductive or low in conductivity. In one study, the tuning of heteroatom doping was conducted on materials derived from various soy precursors. Furthermore, a one-step chemical activation procedure was developed using optimum doping conditions. The chemical activation showed much effectiveness in the formation of functional groups and enhancement of electrochemical behavior on molasses-based heteroatom-doped carbons. Such method was compared to a novel physical activation method which was developed for use on lignosol-based doped carbons. Examination of results revealed that both chemical and physcial activation onto the heteroatom-doped materials demonstrate improvements in charge storgae characteristics as a result of chemical and morphological changes occuring during activation. All approaches taken in this study for the advancement of conductive carbons show energy storage characteristics can be finely tuned by tailoring the mesoporosity, surface area and functionalities of the material.

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