One-Pot Electrode Synthesis of Synergistic Barium Zinc Oxide/Activated Carbon for Enhanced Supercapacitor Performance

Abstract

An investigation on barium zinc oxide (BaZnO) electrode material was prepared via a Coprecipitation method and incorporated with activated carbon (AC) derived from agricultural waste as coconut bracts to form a BaZnO-AC composite for the application in energy storage devices.The physicochemical properties and surface morphology of the materials were examined to confirm the product formation. The electrochemical performance such as Cyclic Voltammetry (CV), Chronopotentiometry (CP), and AC Impedance (IMP) techniques was analysed to evaluate the electrochemical activity on the composite material. Results showcased that the modified electrode has improved electrochemical behavior and better stability compared to the unchanged counterpart. The BaZnO-AC composite established promising performance in supercapacitor applications, attaining a high specific capacitance (C sp ) of 1017 Fg -1 at 2 Ag -1 and retaining a coulombic efficiency after 4000 charge-discharge cycles of 92.3%. The asymmetric supercapacitor device (ASD) exhibited 325 Fg -1 at 2 mVs -1 and 190 Fg -1 at 2 Ag -1 . This work signifies a development in sustainable energy storage by employing cost-effective coconut bract as a carbon source, while the integration of BaZnO further improves the material's electrocatalytic activity.