Researchers at Dongguk University have developed a new hybrid composite electrode material that is reported to significantly enhance the performance of supercapacitors for hybrid vehicles. Researchers have demonstrated improved charge storage and retention and increased energy and power density, which they attributed to the unique morphology of the electrode material.
Offering “unprecedented” electrochemical properties, the novel composite electrode is made from cobalt selenide nanorod-copper selenide polyhedron-decorated over graphene oxide (CCS@GO). This is in comparison to most charge storage devices that are based on conventional metal sulfide or metal oxide-based supercapacitor electrodes.
Researchers said the traditional electrodes used for supercapacitors offer poor electrical conductivity and low energy density, which are major challenges in their use for commercial applications.
Developed on the premise that next-generation electronic devices and hybrid vehicles need excellent charge storage devices to function, researchers used metal selenides for the new electrode thanks to their enhanced electrochemical properties. These advantages include high chemical stability, a narrow bandgap and low electronegativity, delivering a faster electron-conducting rate than that of metal sulfides and oxides, said researchers.
Click for a larger image (Source: Dongguk University)
“A composite formed by the combination of metal selenides and carbon template is a fascinating approach to tune the properties of electrodes for electrochemical applications. Based on this idea, we have designed and constructed a new hybrid composite electrode comprising cobalt selenide nanorod-copper selenide polyhedron-decorated over graphene oxide (CCS@GO), using a wet-chemical strategy,” said Professor Hyun-Seok Kim from the Division of Electronics and Electrical Engineering, Dongguk University, Seoul, South Korea, in a statement.
Researchers first reported their findings in the Chemical Engineering Journal. The team developed an asymmetric supercapacitor device with a capacitance of 192.8 Fg-1 @ 1A g-1, an energy density of 54.6 Wh kg-1, a power density 700 W kg-1, and capacitance retention of about 82.5% over 10,000 cycles with the new electrode material.
The research team attributed the improved electrochemical performance to the unique morphology and high surface area of the new electrode materials.
In addition to the improved performance, the researchers fabricated the new electrode with an environmentally-friendly and cost- and energy-efficient wet-chemical process, using readily available copper and cobalt materials. They believe the new electrode opens the door for non-flammable energy storage materials for next-generation electronic and electrical devices.
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