Tuning the Electrochemical Performance of Cu2S/Co3S4 via Optimized CNT Incorporation for High Energy and High Power Supercapacitor Application

Abstract

Transition metal sulfides are emerging as promising materials for supercapacitor applications due to their excellent conductivity, high theoretical capacities, and stability. Exploring these materials, along with enhancements like doping of carbonaceous materials, could lead to high-performance solutions that address the growing need for renewable energy technologies and sustainable energy storage systems. Herein, mixed metal sulfide Cu₂S/Co₃S₄ composites with varying percentages of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were synthesized through a facile one-step hydrothermal method. The resulting materials displayed outstanding electrochemical behavior. This performance was optimized by tuning the weight percentage of CNTs doped in the metal sulfide scaffold. Among the prepared nanocomposites, i.e., Cu₂S/Co₃S₄@CNT-x, referred to as CCS@CNT-x (where x is the wt % of CNT), CCS@CNT-10 showed the maximum specific capacitance (C_sp) of 960 F g^–1 at 1 A g^–1 (specific capacity, C_s of 638 C g^–1), as revealed from electrochemical measurements. The as-fabricated device CCS@CNT-10//activated carbon sustained a broad potential window of 1.7 V, showing a high power density of 17000 W kg^–1 along with a high energy density of 68 Wh kg^–1 at 20 A g^–1. The device was able to maintain its cyclic stability up to 95% even after 20,000 cycles. The exceptional electrochemical performance of the device can be attributed to the synergistic interactions between Cu₂S and Co₃S₄, combined with the highly conductive interconnected network created by CNT incorporation. This combination facilitates efficient redox reactions at the electrode–electrolyte interface and accelerates electron transport throughout the material.