Tailoring the dielectric and electrochemical properties of ZnO–CoO with Fe doping for energy storage devices

• Published in: Journal of materials science. Materials in electronics 2024-04, Vol.35 (10), p.708, Article 708
• Main Authors: Ejaz, Tahir, Hassan, Haseebul, Muzaffar, Nimra, Imran, Muhammad, Zaka, Asma, Afzal, Amir Muhammad, Iqbal, Muhammad Waqas, Safdar, Samia, Albaqami, Munirah D., Wabaidur, Saikh Mohammad, Mumtaz, Sohail, Ahmad, Zubair
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry and Materials Science; Cobalt oxides; Dielectric properties; Doping; Electrical resistivity; Electrochemical analysis; Electrons; Energy storage; Heterostructures; Iron; Materials Science; Metal oxides; Nanocomposites; Optical and Electronic Materials; Phase composition; Stability; Zinc oxide; Zinc oxides
• ISSN: 0957-4522; 1573-482X
• DOI: 10.1007/s10854-024-12449-z

Metal oxides have been extensively researched due to their exceptional electrical conductivity and superior specific capacitance, making them pivotal materials in the study of supercapattery devices. In this study, zinc oxide mixed with cobalt oxide with a 50/50 weight, and (ZnO–CoO) nanocomposite was synthesized using a hydrothermal technique. Moreover, the effect of iron (Fe) incorporation into the ZnO–CoO heterostructure was investigated. Characterization of the Fe/ZnO–CoO nanoparticles involved X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to analyze their crystallinity and phase composition. The impact of iron doping on the dielectric properties of ZnO–CoO is also evaluated. The high dielectric constant values were observed at low frequencies in pure ZnO–CoO. Moreover, tan δ has larger values at lower frequencies and smaller values at higher frequencies. The Fe/ZnO–CoO composite exhibited superior electrochemical performance, with a specific capacity of 653 Cg −1 compared to 487 C/g for the simple ZnO–CoO composite. In hybrid device, Fe/ZnO–CoO//AC, the composite electrode showed a specific capacity of 164 Cg −1 at 1.0 Ag −1 . The device demonstrated an extraordinary energy density of 57 Wh kg −1 and an improved power density of 3600 W/kg. Notably, the device exhibited excellent capacity retention (CR) of 97% up to 5000 GCD cycles. The device is also show a high value of Coulombic efficiency of 96% after the stability measurement. These findings demonstrate the exceptional electrochemical performance and stability of Fe/ZnO–CoO nanocomposite and provide essential insights into their potential for use in future energy storage devices.