Nitrogen-Doped High Surface Area Porous Carbon Material Derived from Biomass and Ionic Liquid for High-Performance Supercapacitors

Waste Coffee Ground-Derived Porous Carbon for Neurochemical Detection

We present an optimized synthetic method for repurposing coffee waste to create controllable, uniform porous carbon frameworks for biosensor applications to enhance neurotransmitter detection with fast-scan cyclic voltammetry. Harnessing porous carbon structures from biowastes is a common practice for low-cost energy storage applications; however, repurposing biowastes for biosensing applications has not been explored. Waste coffee ground-derived porous carbon was synthesized by chemical activation to form multivoid, hierarchical porous carbon, and this synthesis was specifically optimized for porous uniformity and electrochemical detection. These materials, when modified on carbon-fiber microelectrodes, exhibited high surface roughness and pore distribution, which contributed to significant improvements in electrochemical reversibility and oxidative current for dopamine (3.5 ± 0.4-fold) and other neurochemicals. Capacitive current increases were small, showing evidence of small increases in electroactive surface area. Local trapping of dopamine within the pores led to improved electrochemical reversibility and frequency-independent behavior. Overall, we demonstrate an optimized biowaste-derived porous carbon synthesis for neurotransmitter detection for the first time and show material utility for viable neurotransmitter detection within a tissue matrix. This work supports the notion that controlled surface nanogeometries play a key role in electrochemical detection.

Borocarbonitride-Based Emerging Materials for Supercapacitor Applications: Recent Advances, Challenges, and Future Perspectives

Supercapacitors have emerged as a promising energy storage technology due to their high-power density, fast charging/discharging capabilities, and long cycle life. Moreover, innovative electrode materials are extensively explored to enhance the performance, mainly the energy density of supercapacitors. Among the two-dimensional (2D) supercapacitor electrodes, borocarbonitride (BCN) has sparked widespread curiosity owing to its exceptional tunable properties concerning the change in concentration of the constituent elements, along with an excellent alternative to graphene-based electrodes. BCN, an advanced nanomaterial, possesses excellent electrical conductivity, chemical stability, and a large specific surface area. These factors contribute to supercapacitors' overall performance and reliability, making them a viable option to address the energy crisis. This review provides a detailed survey of BCN, its structural, electronic, chemical, magnetic, and mechanical properties, advanced synthesis methods, factors affecting the charge storage mechanism, and recent advances in BCN-based supercapacitor electrodes. The review embarks on the scrupulous elaboration of ways to enhance the electrochemical properties of BCN through various innovative strategies followed by critical challenges and future perspectives. BCN, as an eminent electrode material, holds great potential to revolutionize the energy landscape and support the growing energy demands of the future.