Electrode material development from natural specularite ore for supercapacitor applications

Natural specularite ore was investigated as a sustainable and low-cost raw material for supercapacitor electrodes. This study provides new insight by demonstrating the direct conversion of an abundant iron ore into a functional nanostructured electrode (nano sp/NF) through a combined process of planetary ball milling, ultrasonic exfoliation in N, N-dimethylformamide, and hydrothermal treatment. The fabricated electrode exhibited a specific capacitance of 425 F/g at 20 A/g together with remarkable cycling stability over 10,000 charge-discharge cycles. These superior performances are associated with the enlarged surface area and porous architecture, which facilitate rapid ion transport and efficient Faradaic reactions. Overall, the findings highlight the originality of employing natural ores through environmentally friendly and scalable processing routes, offering a promising pathway toward next-generation energy storage electrodes.