Electrochemical investigation of phosphorous and boron heteroatoms incorporated reduced graphene oxide electrode material for supercapacitor applications

Abstract

Graphene-based nanomaterials are becoming common components for consumer products due to their outstanding charge carrier ability, high surface area, high thermal stability, and great potential for environmental decontamination. Nowadays, heteroatoms added carbon allotropes are providing better electrochemical performances in the field of supercapacitors as an electrode material. In this present work, boron and phosphorus heteroatoms were introduced in the network of reduced graphene oxide to increase the capacitance of the supercapacitor. The B and P incorporated rGO (PB-rGO) electrode material was prepared by the hydrothermal method. The properties of the electrode material were analyzed using structural, morphological, and elemental analysis. The prepared electrode material was used as a working electrode material in supercapacitors. In 1 M H2SO4 aqueous electrolyte medium, a maximum specific capacitance of 436 F g−1 was found for PB-rGO in a three-electrode configuration. In a symmetric configuration, a power density of 394 W kg−1 and an energy density of 12.48 Wh kg−1 were observed for the PB-rGO electrode. The cyclic stability analysis showed 97.6 % retention after 10,000 cycles at the current density of 3 A g−1.