Nanostructured CoFe2O4 and their nanohybrid with rGO as an efficient electrode for next-generation supercapacitor

Abstract

Herein, we adopted the hydrothermal method to produce a novel, flexible, and self-supporting electrode based on nanostructured CoFe2O4 and rGO nanohybrid for supercapacitor applications. Hydrothermally prepared CoFe2O4/rGO material was characterized by Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman study, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), current-voltage (I–V) tests, and Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) to examine the shape, particle size, structure, composition, electronic conductivity, and % rGO content. We performed Galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD), impedance study, and cyclic voltammetry (CV) tests in 3 M KOH electrolyte to examine the electrochemical characteristics of the nanohybrid-based working electrode. A self-supported CoFe2O4/rGO@CC electrode containing 20% graphene had a high specific capacitance of 1245 Fg-1 at 01 Ag-1. Almost 83.8% of specific capacitance was retained even at 12 Ag-1, revealing the excellent rate performance of the as-prepared electrode. Furthermore, the nanohybrid electrode lost just 8.8% of its specific capacity after 5500 GCD trails, demonstrating its higher activity rate. The impedance measurements revealed that the addition of rGO contents boosted the nanohybrid's inherent conductivity, due to which the rate of the Faradaic redox reaction also increased. The observed enhancement in electrochemical properties of the CoFe2O4/rGO@CC electrode is due to its improved conductivity, nanoarchitecture, self-supporting design, flexible current collector, and hybrid composition. Our CoFe2O4/rGO@CC electrode has a lot of potential for use in the emerging supercapacitor because of its integrated features.