Effects of copper ion irradiation on $${\mathbf{C}\mathbf{u}}_{\mathbf{y}}{\mathbf{Z}\mathbf{n}}_{1-2\mathbf{y}-\mathbf{x}}{\mathbf{M}\mathbf{n}}_{\mathbf{y}}/\mathbf{G}\mathbf{O}$$ supercapacitive electrodes

Abstract

$${\text{Cu}}_{{y}}{\text{Zn}}_{1-2{y}-{x}}{\text{Mn}}_{{y}}/{\text{GO}}$$ (CZMOG) electrodes with y ~ 0.25 and x ~ 0.1 have been fabricated hydrothermally for potential application as a supercapacitive energy-storage electrode. Graphene oxide (GO) is added to the electrodes due to their high surface area and negligible resistance. This synergistic combination of elements of copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), and zinc (Zn) with GO to form CZMOG electrode enhances the latter's performance, stability, and life span. Our results show that the synthesized nanocomposites are crystalline with spherical flake-like shapes. The electrode is then bombarded with Cu ions (Cu2+) irradiation at different doses to determine the effect of Cu2+ irradiation on the performance of the electrodes. Performance evaluation of the electrodes shows that the device characteristics are improved with Cu2+ irradiation, with peak performance observed for samples irradiated with 5.0 × 1015 ions cm−2. Beyond this optimal dosage, the electrode gradually loses its crystallinity with significant electrode damage at a threshold irradiation dose of ~ 1.0 × 1016 ions cm−2. Electrochemical evaluations delivered maximum specific capacitance with cyclic voltammetry (CV) adopting a 10 mVs−1 scan rate and galvanostatic charge discharge (GCD) with 1.0 Ag−1 current density of 1950 and 2556 Fg−1, respectively. Our experimental observations are supported by first-principles density functional theory calculations.