Biomass-Derived Hierarchical Porous Carbon from Colocasia esculenta for Combined Energy Storage and Green Catalytic Applications

The valorization of renewable biomass into multifunctional carbon materials represents a sustainable strategy for energy and catalytic applications. In this study, Colocasia esculenta (taro) was employed as a carbon precursor to synthesize hierarchically porous activated carbon via KOH-assisted pyrolysis. Structural analyses (FTIR, UV–Vis, XRD, SEM–EDS, HRTEM–SAED, and BET) revealed a micro–mesoporous architecture, partial graphitization, and abundant oxygenated surface functionalities. The biomass exhibited a high BET surface area of ۴۱۶.۹۴ m²/g, a micropore volume of ۰.۱۹۴ cm³/g, and a narrow pore-size distribution (~۱.۸۲ nm), facilitating rapid ion transport. Electrochemical characterization in ۱ M NaOH demonstrated pronounced pseudo-capacitive behavior with a specific capacitance of ۵۶۵ F/g at ۱۰ mV/s, highlighting the synergistic effect of hierarchical porosity, surface functional groups, and graphitic domains. Additionally, biomass served as an efficient catalyst for the condensation of ۲-phenyl-۱H-indole with aromatic aldehydes, yielding bis(indolyl)methane derivatives under mild conditions with high selectivity and purity. This work established Colocasia esculenta–derived carbon as a sustainable, multifunctional platform capable of bridging energy storage and green chemical synthesis, advancing circular carbon utilization strategies.

کلیدواژه ها:

Biomass ، Porous carbon ، Supercapacitor ، Catalyst ، Bis(indolyl)methane ، Green synthesis