Role of microwave irradiation power rates on electrochemical performance of BiPO4 nanostructures as electrode material for energy storage applications

The present work reports the bismuth phosphate (BiPO4) nanostructures, the next generation of perspective cathode material for energy storage device application prepared via using a simple microwave technique under prime conditions and at various microwave irradiation power rates (60%, 80%, and 100%) at a fixed temperature (100 degrees C). The formation of pure phase (hexagonal) of BiPO4 nanostructures was revealed by XRD examination and verified by EDS studies, Raman, and FTIR spectra. FESEM analysis shows the formation of non-uniform rectangular-like crystals and the particle size distribution range- 41-52 nm. The electrochemical characterization of the as-prepared BiPO4 cathode material was done using a CHI760E Electrochemical station in a threeelectrode cell using a 2 M KOH aqueous electrolyte with Ag/AgCl as a reference electrode. The electrochemical analysis shows that at a current density of 2 A g-1, the BP80 electrode exhibits a high value of specific capacity, i. e., 693 C g-1 and 89% retention for 1200 cycles at 10 A g-1. The results analysis revealed that microwave irradiation power rate plays a critical role in the electrochemical performance of BiPO4 nanostructures.

Automated summary

The bismuth phosphate (BiPO4) nanostructures prepared using a simple microwave technique exhibit excellent electrochemical performance, showing high specific capacity and cycle stability. The microwave irradiation power rate plays a crucial role in determining the performance of the BiPO4 nanostructures.