Facile Synthesis of Bio-Templated Tubular Co₃O₄ Microstructure and Its Electrochemical Performance in Aqueous Electrolytes

N-Doped celery-based biomass carbon with tunable Co3O4 loading for enhanced-performance of solid-state supercapacitors

N-doped celery-based biomass carbon with tunable Co3O4 loading is prepared and shows enhanced specific capacitance.

Electrochemical Performance of Iron-Doped Cobalt Oxide Hierarchical Nanostructure

In this study, hydrothermally produced Fe-doped Co3O4 nanostructured particles are investigated as electrocatalysts for the water-splitting process and electrode materials for supercapacitor devices. The results of the experiments demonstrated that the surface area, specific capacitance, and electrochemical performance of Co3O4 are all influenced by Fe3+ content. The FexCo3-xO4 with x = 1 sample exhibits a higher BET surface (87.45 m2/g) than that of the pristine Co3O4 (59.4 m2/g). Electrochemical measurements of the electrode carried out in 3 M KOH reveal a high specific capacitance of 153 F/g at a current density of 1 A/g for x = 0.6 and 684 F/g at a 2 mV/s scan rate for x = 1.0 samples. In terms of electrocatalytic performance, the electrode (x = 1.0) displayed a low overpotential of 266 mV (at a current density of 10 mA/cm2) along with 52 mV/dec Tafel slopes in the oxygen evolution reaction. Additionally, the overpotential of 132 mV (at a current density of 10 mA/cm2) and 109 mV with 52 mV/dec Tafel slope were obtained for x = 0.6 sample towards hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). According to electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements and the density functional theory (DFT) study, the addition of Fe3+ increased the conductivity at the electrode–electrolyte interface, which substantially impacted the high activity of the iron-doped cobalt oxide. The electrochemical results revealed that the mesoporous Fe-doped Co3O4 nanostructure could be used as potential electrode material in the high-performance electrochemical capacitor and water-splitting catalysts.

Electrochemical Performance of Aluminum Doped Ni1−xAlxCo2O4 Hierarchical Nanostructure: Experimental and Theoretical Study

For electrochemical supercapacitors, nickel cobaltite (NiCo2O4) has emerged as a new energy storage material. The electrocapacitive performance of metal oxides is significantly influenced by their morphology and electrical characteristics. The synthesis route can modulate the morphological structure, while their energy band gaps and defects can vary the electrical properties. In addition to modifying the energy band gap, doping can improve crystal stability and refine grain size, providing much-needed surface area for high specific capacitance. This study evaluates the electrochemical performance of aluminum-doped Ni1−xAlxCo2O4 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.8) compounds. The Ni1−xAlxCo2O4 samples were synthesized through a hydrothermal method by varying the Al to Ni molar ratio. The physical, morphological, and electrochemical properties of Ni1−xAlxCo2O4 are observed to vary with Al3+ content. A morphological change from urchin-like spheres to nanoplate-like structures with a concomitant increase in the surface area, reaching up to 189 m2/g for x = 0.8, was observed with increasing Al3+ content in Ni1−xAlxCo2O4. The electrochemical performance of Ni1−xAlxCo2O4 as an electrode was assessed in a 3M KOH solution. The high specific capacitance of 512 F/g at a 2 mV/s scan rate, 268 F/g at a current density of 0.5 A/g, and energy density of 12.4 Wh/kg was observed for the x = 0.0 sample, which was reduced upon further Al3+ substitution. The as-synthesized Ni1−xAlxCo2O4 electrode exhibited a maximum energy density of 12.4 W h kg−1 with an outstanding high-power density of approximately 6316.6 W h kg−1 for x = 0.0 and an energy density of 8.7 W h kg−1 with an outstanding high-power density of approximately 6670.9 W h kg−1 for x = 0.6. The capacitance retention of 97% and 108.52% and the Coulombic efficiency of 100% and 99.24% were observed for x = 0.0 and x = 0.8, respectively. First-principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations show that the band-gap energy of Ni1−xAlxCo2O4 remained largely invariant with the Al3+ substitution for low Al3+ content. Although the capacitance performance is reduced upon Al3+ doping, overall, the Al3+ doped Ni1−xAlxCo2O4 displayed good energy, powder density, and retention performance. Thus, Al3+ could be a cost-effective alternative in replacing Ni with the performance trade off.