The effect of B – site cation on the supercapacitive properties of LaBO3 (B = Cr, Mn, Fe and Co) porous perovskites

Abstract

Perovskite oxides have attracted great attention as favorable electrode materials for supercapacitors due to their sole structure, intrinsic oxygen vacancy and compositional flexibility. However, a facile synthetic route which is simple and economical is a challenging issue related to the synthesis of such complex functional oxides. We present a facile and ultrafast way to synthesize LaBO3 (B = Cr, Mn, Fe and Co) perovskite nanocrystallites using glycine-nitrate autocombustion followed by annealing. The structure, phase purity, thermal stability, morphology and surface features of thus synthesized perovskite oxides were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Field emission scanning electron microscopy, High resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Brunauer-Emmet-Teller measurements. The role of B – site cation on the electrochemical performance has been investigated by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge discharge measurements and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Electrochemical measurements showed that, among the synthesized materials, LaBO3 nanoparticles with smallest transition metal cation at its B – site, that is LaCoO3 delivered highest value of specific capacitance (750 F/g) and the value of specific capacitance decreases in the order LaCoO3 ˃ LaMnO3 ˃ LaCrO3 ˃ LaFeO3. Therefore, B – site transition metal cation holds the key to regulate perovskite's properties which are essential prerequisites for supercapacitors. An asymmetric device fabricated using LaCoO3 and activated carbon as the positive and negative electrode respectively acted in broad potential window (1.7 V) and delivered an energy density of 22.2 Wh/kg at a power density of 997.7 W/kg and two supercapacitors connected in series could power a red light emitting diode efficiently.