A study on the electrochemical performance of nitrogen and oxygen co-doped carbon dots derived from a green precursor for supercapacitor applications

Carbon dots (CDs) finds applications in the field of optoelectronics, energy conversion, energy storage, etc. In this work, the electrochemical properties of CDs (obtained from a green source, lignite) were established to employ them for supercapacitor application. CDs-modified carbon felt working electrode was fabricated and its electrochemical properties were studied and compared with lignite-modified carbon felt working electrode. The CDs-modified electrode showed a superior capacitance compared with lignite-modified electrode which was evidenced from their cyclic voltammograms, electron impedance spectroscopy, and charge/discharge studies. The highest observed specific capacitance value for CDs-based electrode is 30.5 F g −1 which is 14 times higher than that of lignite-modified electrode.