A simple and low-cost carbon nanomaterial synthesis method that does not require a high-temperature processing strategy is essential for energy storage applications. The market for sustainable, long-lasting, and ecologically acceptable carbon-based materials has grown.
Researchers in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces have reported a new technique for converting chicken fat into carbon-based electrodes for supercapacitors, which store energy and power LEDs.
Mohan Reddy Pallavolu, Jae Hak Jung, Sang Woo Joo, and associates sought to create an easy-to-use, low-cost technique for turning leftover chicken fat into electrically conductive nanostructures for supercapacitor energy storage devices.
The process began with the extraction of fat from a chicken, which was then melted using a gas flame pistol. The resulting oil was burned using a flame wick method, similar to an oil lamp, and the soot was collected at the bottom of a flask suspended over the flame. This soot was the precursor to the carbon-based electrodes.
When the carbon nanoparticles made from chicken fat were assembled into the negative electrode of an asymmetric supercapacitor, they showed excellent capacitance, durability, and high energy and power density. As expected, these characteristics increased even more when the carbon nanoparticles treated with thiourea were used to make the electrodes.
These findings not only demonstrate the potential of chicken fat as a carbon source for energy storage, but also highlight the practical application of this research in real-time LED lighting. This paves the way for a more sustainable and environmentally friendly approach to energy storage.
Journal Reference:
- Jyothi Nallapureddy, Thupakula Venkata Madhukar Sreekanth, Mohan Reddy Pallavolu et al. Strategic Way of Synthesizing Heteroatom-Doped Carbon Nano-onions Using Waste Chicken Fat Oil for Energy Storage Devices. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces (2024). DOI: 10.1021/acsami.4c02753