The g-C3N4/rGO composite for high-performance supercapacitor: Synthesis, characterizations, and time series modeling and predictions

Abstract

Supercapacitors have gathered significant interest in addressing the increasing need for energy storage devices with high power and energy densities. This study introduces a composite framework designed to enhance supercapacitor performance by leveraging the synergistic effects of g-C3N4/rGO composite. The composite electrode, which combines rGO for high conductivity and g-C3N4 for rapid ion diffusion, demonstrates excellent supercapacitor performance. The synthesized materials were characterized using different analytical tools such as X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, Scanning and Transmission electron microscope, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The composite electrode exhibited outstanding performance characteristics, including a specific capacitance of 407.7 F/g, an energy density of 11.4 W h/kg, and a high power density of 186.7 W/kg. Kinetic analysis revealed that the g-C3N4/rGO composite electrode has a dominant diffusive controlled process. The g-C3N4/rGO electrode also demonstrated exceptional durability, maintaining remarkable capacitance retention even after the 5000th charge/discharge cycles. Moreover, the cyclic stability and Coulombic efficiency of the g-C3N4/rGO electrode were modeled and predicted by utilizing the time series analysis technique (Holt-Winters exponential smoothing). Considering the overall results, the g-C3N4/rGO composite electrode has a great potential for energy storage applications.