Engineering MXene-integrated Nb2C/CuFe2O4@g-C3N4 composite for optimized electrochemical energy storage and electrocatalytic performance
摘要
The demand for efficient and sustainable power devices is very important and can only be achieved through the use of electrochemical energy storage technologies. Trying to combine the high energy density of batteries with the high-power capability of supercapacitors, the hybrid energy storage devices, especially the hybrid supercapacitors, have been proposed as a promising solution. This research involved the synthesis of a ternary Nb2C/CuFe2O4@g-C3N4 composite using the hydrothermal method and its use in the tertiary application as an electrode material. Structural and morphological investigations have verified the successful combination of conductive Nb2C MXene, redox-active CuFe2O4 spinel, and nitrogen-rich g-C3N4 to make a hierarchical porous structure with a high level of interfacial interaction. Due to this type of synergistic structure, the composite electrode showed a high specific capacity of 2682 C/g at 2 A/g and a three-electrode assembly configuration, which was better than its individual counterparts and binary composite. An asymmetric supercapattery device was designed using activated carbon as the negative electrode, at a potential window of 1.6 V, and an energy density of 33 Wh/kg was achieved at a high power density of 2560 W/kg with decent cycling performance. Moreover, the composite showed excellent oxygen evolution reactions in the presence of alkaline electrolyte, which necessitated a low overpotential of 93.07 mV at 10 mA/cm2 and a small Tafel slope of 76.63 m/V, and had good operational durability. It has been shown that the integration of transition-metal oxides and nitrogen-rich frameworks with the aid of MXene is an effective approach toward the production of multifunctional electrode materials that can be applied in further energy storage and conversion processes.