Synthesis of In2O3/GNPs Nanocomposites with Integrated Approaches to Tune the overall Performance of the Electrochemical Devices
By Jabeen, Sobia; Aadil, Muhammad; Williams, James; Awan, M. S.; Iqbal, Javed; Zulfiqar, Sonia; Nazar, Nosheen
Published in Ceramics International
2021
Abstract
The electroactive material with a porous structure, good electrical conductivity, hybrid composition, and a higher surface is considered more suitable for applications as an electrode in the energy storage device. Herein, we reported the preparation of In2O3 nanoparticles via a simple chemical route and their nanocomposite with 10% (IOG-10), 30% (IOG-30), 50% (IOG-50), 70% (IOG-70), and 100% G-100 graphene nanoplates (GNPs) via ultra-sonication. The presence of GNPs in the nanocomposite samples was verified by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Raman, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results. The prepared samples were loaded onto the porous 3D nickel foam (NF) substrate to manufacture the working electrode for electrochemical testing. The cyclic voltammetry (CV), as well as galvanostatic charge/discharge (GCD), results proposed the IOG-30@NF as a suitable electrode for electrochemical applications. More precisely, the IOG-30@NF electrode shows a specific capacitance of 1768 Fg-1@1 Ag-1, which is considerably higher than that of either G-100@NF or In2O3@NF electrodes. Besides, the IOG-30@NF electrode shows good cyclic stability of 92.2% after 4000 GCD tests completed at 12 Ag-1. When increasing the current density value from 1 to 4, the IOG-30@NF electrode maintains a specific capability of 81%, ensuring its exceptional rate capability. The higher specific capacity, higher rate-performance, and better cyclic activity of the IOG-30@NF electrode can be ascribed to its hybrid-composition, nanoarchitecture In2O3, 3D but porous nickel foam substrate, appropriate graphene contents, and constructive interaction between the In2O3 nanoparticles and RGO nanosheets.