Synthesis of Copper and Cobalt Oxide nanoparticles for enhanced Supercapacitor applications

Abstract

This research paper presents a comprehensive study on the synthesis of copper oxide (CuO), cobalt oxide (Co₃O₄), and their hybrid nanoparticles via the sol-gel method for enhanced supercapacitor applications. The resulting materials were characterized using techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV-Vis, Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) and electrochemical measurements. The average particle size of CuO, Co₃O₄ nanoparticles and CuO/Co₃O₄ nanocomposite is found from XRD as 18.5 nm, 18.1 nm, and 17.5 nm respectively. The electrochemical performance of the synthesized nanoparticles was evaluated using cyclic voltammetry (CV). The CuO nanoparticles exhibited a specific capacitance of 204 F/g, while Co₃O₄ showed a specific capacitance of 252 F/g at a scan rate of 5 mV/s. The CuO-Co₃O₄ hybrid nanoparticles demonstrated a synergistic effect, with a specific capacitance of 384 F/g, outperforming the individual oxide counterparts.