Iron-selenide-based titanium dioxide nanocomposites as a novel electrode material for asymmetric supercapacitors operating at 2.3 V

Abstract

This study portrays a facile wet-chemical synthesis of FeSe₂/TiO₂ nanocomposites for the first time for advanced asymmetric supercapacitor (SC) energy storage applications. Two different composites were prepared with varying ratios of TiO₂ (90 and 60%, symbolized as KT-1 and KT-2) and their electrochemical properties were investigated to obtain an optimized performance. The electrochemical properties showed excellent energy storage performance owing to faradaic redox reactions from Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺ while TiO₂ due to Ti³⁺/Ti⁴⁺ with high reversibility. Three-electrode designs in aqueous solutions showed a superlative capacitive performance, with KT-2 performing better (high capacitance and fastest charge kinetics). The superior capacitive performance drew our attention to further employing the KT-2 as a positive electrode to fabricate an asymmetric faradaic SC (KT-2//AC), exceeding exceptional energy storage performance after applying a wider voltage of 2.3 V in an aqueous solution. The constructed KT-2/AC faradaic SCs significantly improved electrochemical parameters such as capacitance of 95 F g⁻¹, specific energy (69.79 Wh kg⁻¹), and specific power delivery of 11529 W kg⁻¹. Additionally, extremely outstanding durability was maintained after long-term cycling and rate performance. These fascinating findings manifest the promising feature of iron-based selenide nanocomposites, which can be effective electrode materials for next-generation high-performance SCs.