A dual functional material: Spirulina Platensis waste-supported Pd-Co catalyst as a novel promising supercapacitor electrode

Abstract

Abstract In the present study, Spirulina Platensis waste-supported Pd-Co (SPW-Pd-Co) catalyst was used as an efficient catalyst for the methanolysis reaction of sodium borohydride (NaBH4); moreover, the produced SPW-Pd-Co catalyst was tested as a supercapacitor electrode material for the first time. In this context, the SPW-Pd-Co catalyst was synthesized by the treatment of the Spirulina Platensis waste (SPW) with 1–7\xa0M HCl, 1\xa0mL PdCl2 solution (2% w/w) and 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5\xa0mL CoCI2·6H2O solution (5% w/w). Under optimum conditions, the most active catalyst was obtained by burning with 3\xa0M HCl-Pd-4\xa0mL Co2+ solution at 600\xa0°C for 90\xa0min. The maximum rate of hydrogen generation (HGR) obtained at 30\xa0°C from the NaBH4 methanolysis reaction was found to be 5497.7\xa0mLmin-1gcat−1, and the catalyst activation energy was found to be 10.32\xa0kJ\xa0mol−1. The gravimetric capacitance of the prepared electrode was calculated as 50\xa0F/g at 2 A/g current density. The capacitance values of the supercapacitor are at a significant level in terms of capacity and the cost.