Abstract:
The current trend of increasing research interest in supercapacitor is due to high demands
for an energy storage device that can work in systems that require either low or high power-energy
usage. In a supercapacitor using porous carbon electrodes, the energy storage mechanism involves
the electrolyte ions in electrode pores and electronic charges in electrodes to form electric double
layers at the electrode-electrolyte interface without undergoes any chemical reaction. The specific
surface area of porous electrodes, which affect the performance of supercapacitor, have been widely
investigated by many researchers using the nitrogen adsorption-desorption measurement. However,
despite its simplicity, the X-ray diffraction method is rarely found being used to determine the
specific surface area of porous electrodes. Therefore, in the present paper, we propose a new
equation which expressed the specific surface area of electrodes as a function the electrode
structural parameters obtained from the X-ray diffraction data, and duration of activation time
employed during the electrode preparation. This equation is found to produce a satisfactory result
and is expected to be beneficial for studying supercapacitor electrode materials
