Synthesis of porous carbon from a PVC polymer and its application in supercapacitors

Abstract

In this study, the laboratory scale production of activated carbon synthesized from PVC with CoCl₂ and H₃PO₄, which is cheaper and has a good yield source material, is reported. A prototype supercapacitor was successfully developed using activated carbon as an electrode material derived from the PVC polymer and IL (1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium thiocyanate) as the electrolyte. The performance of the supercapacitor was estimated via electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and the charge–discharge technique. The supercapacitor offered a high specific capacitance of ∼120 F g⁻¹ at 5 m V s⁻¹. The performances of the supercapacitor were also estimated up to 15 days and up to 9000 cycles via cyclic voltammetry.