Synthesis of a Co3V2O8/CNx hybrid nanocomposite as an efficient electrode material for supercapacitors

Development of electrode materials for electrochemical energy storage is of great importance because of the growing energy demand. Supercapacitors are important energy storage devices because of their high power density and long cycle life. In this work, we report a simple solvothermal method to synthesize a cobalt vanadium oxide/carbon nitride composite (Co3V2O8/CNx) for superior supercapacitor performance. The composite shows a high capacitance of 1236 F g(-1) at a current density of 1 A g(-1) and a good cyclic stability of nearly 87% after 4000 galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD) cycles. Furthermore, the electrochemical performance of Co3V2O8/CNx is 33.18% higher than that of Co3V2O8 suggesting that the presence of carbon nitride in Co3V2O8/CNx enhances its electrochemical performance. The asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) was assembled using Co3V2O8/CNx and activated carbon (AC) as positive and negative electrodes respectively. The ASC shows a specific capacitance of 131 F g(-1) at a current density of 0.5 A g(-1) and it maintained a high energy density of 40.83 W h kg(-1) at a power density of 385.18 W kg(-1) with a cell voltage of 1.5 V. The uniformly grown nanoparticles of the composite and the synergistic interaction between Co3V2O8 and CNx provide high specific capacitance along with an increase in the rate of capacitance retention which suggests that Co3V2O8/CNx can be a suitable material for application in hybrid energy storage devices.

Automated summary

The study successfully synthesized a cobalt vanadium oxide/carbon nitride composite with superior supercapacitor performance through a simple solvothermal method. The composite exhibited high capacitance and stable cyclic performance at a current density, showcasing potential for application in hybrid energy storage devices.