Decoration of nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide with cobalt tungstate nanoparticles for use in high-performance supercapacitors

A composite of cobalt tungstate nanoparticles coated on nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide (CoWO4/NRGO) was prepared through an in situ sonochemical approach. The composite was next evaluated as an electrode material for use supercapacitors electrodes. The characterization of the various CoWO4/NRGO nanocomposite samples was carried out through field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method and Raman spectroscopy. Complementary studies were also performed through cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge/discharge, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and continues cyclic voltammetry (CCV). The electrochemical evaluations were carried out in a 2 M H2SO4 solution as the electrolyte. The electrochemical evaluations on the nano-composite samples indicated that CoWO4/NRGO-based electrodes reveal enhanced supercapacitive characteristics (i.e. a high specific capacitance (SC) of 597 F g(-1) at a scan rate of 5 mV s(-1), an energy density (ED) value of 67.9 W h kg(-1), and high rate capability). CCV studies indicated that CoWO4/NRGO-based electrodes keep 97.1% of their original capacitance after 4000 cycles. The results led to the conclusion that CoWO4/NRGO effectively merge the merits of CoWO4 and CoWO4/RGO in one new nanocomposite material. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.