Facile synthesis of ZnS/MnS nanocomposites for supercapacitor applications

• Published in: Journal of solid state electrochemistry 2018, Vol.22 (1), p.303-313
• Main Authors: Arul, N. Sabari, Cavalcante, L. S., In Han, Jeong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analytical Chemistry; Capacitance; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemical precipitation; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Condensed Matter Physics; Electrochemical analysis; Electrochemistry; Energy Storage; Flux density; Manganese; Nanocomposites; Original Paper; Physical Chemistry; Supercapacitors; Wurtzite; X ray photoelectron spectroscopy; Zinc sulfide
• ISSN: 1432-8488; 1433-0768
• DOI: 10.1007/s10008-017-3782-1

In this study, we have reported a facile fabrication of pristine zinc sulfide (ZnS), manganese sulfide (MnS), and ZnS/MnS nanocomposites (NCs) via cost-effective chemical precipitation method for electrochemical supercapacitor applications. The XRD, HR-TEM, and XPS analyses confirm the formation of ZnS/MnS NCs in the synthesized product. The electrochemical properties of ZnS/MnS NC electrode showed high specific capacitance of 884 F g −1 at a scan rate of 2 mV s −1 . Besides, we have fabricated a symmetric supercapacitor using ZnS/MnS NCsǁZnS/MnS NCs which exhibited a maximum energy density of 91 Wh kg −1 at a power density of 7.78 kW kg −1 with stable capacitance retention after 5000 cycles. Thus, the synergetic effect generated from the wurtzite-type hexagonal structure of ZnS/MnS leads to superior electron/ion transfer resulting in the enhanced electrochemical performance of the ZnS/MnS NCs which might be an ideal choice for cost-effective, high-performance supercapacitor applications. Graphical abstract ZnS/MnS NC electrodes for supercapacitor application