Zeolitic imidazole framework-8 supported antimony trioxide nanocomposite electrode material for supercapacitor applications

Abstract

In recent years, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) garnered the attention of researchers in the field of energy storage, which has the specific traits of a high surface area and a stable porous structure. Here, zeolitic imidazole framework-8 (ZIF-8) were embedded with antimony trioxide (Sb₂O₃). The ZIF-8@Sb₂O₃ nanocomposite (ZFSB NC) was prepared using a solvothermal method. From the XRD study, it was observed that the prepared ZFSB NC exhibits a high degree of crystallinity along with a relatively small crystallite size. The functional groups present in the prepared materials were confirmed through FTIR analysis. The ZFSB NC exhibits a core-shell-like morphology owing to the incorporation of Sb₂O₃ on the surface of ZIF-8. The BET analysis demonstrated that the surface area of the NC is 362.27 m²/g. The electrochemical performance of the fabricated electrodes were investigated using a three-electrode setup with 2M KOH as an electrolyte solution. The obtained specific capacity of ZFSB NC is 480 C/g at a scan rate of 10 mV/s and 234.6 C/g at 1 A/g, which corroborates with the synergistic effect of Sb₂O₃ and ZIF-8, Distinctive morphology and high surface area of ZFSB NC. This elevated specific capacity of ZFSB NC occurs due to the lower R_CT and R_S values, which are 0.034 and 0.629 Ω. ZFSB NC has a capacitive retention of 85.3% after 3000 continuous charge/discharge cycles. The fabricated ASC device ZFSB NC//AC delivers a high specific capacity of 209.2 C/g at a scan rate of 10 mV/s. The device exhibits an elevated energy and power density of 29.28 Wh/Kg and 8000 W/Kg. Therefore, the ZFSB NC is a superior electrode material compatible with future energy storage applications.