An investigation on the compositional effects of 3D graphite on the electrochemical performance of NiO-Co3O4 composite

Abstract

Supercapacitors have gained a lot of attention, and their commercialization requires finding suitable nanomaterials to build a stable electrode of sufficient capacitance. Nanomaterials synthesized using Transition Metal Oxides generally have high theoretical specific capacitance, variant redox characteristics, and multiple valence shells for charge transfer, which makes them a popular electrode material for various energy storage devices. This study aims to prepare a composite of NiO and Co3O4 using a facile sol-gel synthesis method. Further, graphite is added to it at different ratios to enhance its performance, and the resultant samples are characterized using different techniques, and their electrochemical studies are carried out for the first time. The structural properties are studied using the X-ray diffraction technique and the surface morphology using Atomic Force Microscopy. The Fourier-transformed infrared analysis (FTIR) reveals the functional groups present, and UV-VIS spectroscopy is used to calculate its bandgap. The materials are then coated on FTO electrodes and used for electrochemical studies using CV, GCD, and EIS. The highest specific capacitance was calculated for a sample with 10 % graphite and is equal to 47.17 F/g at a sweep rate of 10 mV/s.