Low-Cost, High-Yield ZnO Nanostars Synthesis for Pseudocapacitor Applications
Energy storage devices based on earth-abundant materials are key steps towards portable and sustainable technologies used in daily life. Pseudocapacitive devices, combining high power and high energy density features, are widely required, and transition metal oxides represent promising building mate...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-07-01
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| Series: | Nanomaterials |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/12/15/2588 |
| _version_ | 1797412844081250304 |
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| author | Gisella Maria Di Mari Giacometta Mineo Giorgia Franzò Salvatore Mirabella Elena Bruno Vincenzina Strano |
| author_facet | Gisella Maria Di Mari Giacometta Mineo Giorgia Franzò Salvatore Mirabella Elena Bruno Vincenzina Strano |
| author_sort | Gisella Maria Di Mari |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Energy storage devices based on earth-abundant materials are key steps towards portable and sustainable technologies used in daily life. Pseudocapacitive devices, combining high power and high energy density features, are widely required, and transition metal oxides represent promising building materials owing to their excellent stability, abundance, and ease of synthesis. Here, we report an original ZnO-based nanostructure, named nanostars (NSs), obtained at high yields by chemical bath deposition (CBD) and applied as pseudocapacitors. The ZnO NSs appeared as bundles of crystalline ZnO nanostrips (30 nm thin and up to 12 µm long) with a six-point star shape, self-assembled onto a plane. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL) were used to confirm the crystal structure, shape, and defect-mediated radiation. The ZnO NSs, dispersed onto graphene paper, were tested for energy storage by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and galvanostatic charge–discharge (GCD) analyses, showing a clear pseudocapacitor behavior. The energy storage mechanism was analyzed and related to oxygen vacancy defects at the surface. A proper evaluation of the charge stored on the ZnO NSs and the substrate allowed us to investigate the storage efficiency, measuring a maximum specific capacitance of 94 <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><msup><mrow><mrow><mi mathvariant="normal">F</mi><mtext> </mtext><mi mathvariant="normal">g</mi></mrow></mrow><mrow><mo>−</mo><mn>1</mn></mrow></msup></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula> due to ZnO nanostars alone, with a marked diffusion-limited behavior. The obtained results demonstrate the promising efficacy of ZnO-based NSs as sustainable materials for pseudocapacitors. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T05:09:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-75b8ece8f0754e8a9b0835e7cafd173b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2079-4991 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T05:09:06Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nanomaterials |
| spelling | doaj.art-75b8ece8f0754e8a9b0835e7cafd173b2023-12-03T12:51:51ZengMDPI AGNanomaterials2079-49912022-07-011215258810.3390/nano12152588Low-Cost, High-Yield ZnO Nanostars Synthesis for Pseudocapacitor ApplicationsGisella Maria Di Mari0Giacometta Mineo1Giorgia Franzò2Salvatore Mirabella3Elena Bruno4Vincenzina Strano5Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia “Ettore Majorana”, Università degli Studi di Catania, Via S. Sofia 64, 95123 Catania, ItalyDipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia “Ettore Majorana”, Università degli Studi di Catania, Via S. Sofia 64, 95123 Catania, ItalyConsiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto per la Microelettronica e i Microsistemi (CNR-IMM), Università degli Studi di Catania, Via S. Sofia 64, 95123 Catania, ItalyDipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia “Ettore Majorana”, Università degli Studi di Catania, Via S. Sofia 64, 95123 Catania, ItalyDipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia “Ettore Majorana”, Università degli Studi di Catania, Via S. Sofia 64, 95123 Catania, ItalyConsiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto per la Microelettronica e i Microsistemi (CNR-IMM), Università degli Studi di Catania, Via S. Sofia 64, 95123 Catania, ItalyEnergy storage devices based on earth-abundant materials are key steps towards portable and sustainable technologies used in daily life. Pseudocapacitive devices, combining high power and high energy density features, are widely required, and transition metal oxides represent promising building materials owing to their excellent stability, abundance, and ease of synthesis. Here, we report an original ZnO-based nanostructure, named nanostars (NSs), obtained at high yields by chemical bath deposition (CBD) and applied as pseudocapacitors. The ZnO NSs appeared as bundles of crystalline ZnO nanostrips (30 nm thin and up to 12 µm long) with a six-point star shape, self-assembled onto a plane. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL) were used to confirm the crystal structure, shape, and defect-mediated radiation. The ZnO NSs, dispersed onto graphene paper, were tested for energy storage by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and galvanostatic charge–discharge (GCD) analyses, showing a clear pseudocapacitor behavior. The energy storage mechanism was analyzed and related to oxygen vacancy defects at the surface. A proper evaluation of the charge stored on the ZnO NSs and the substrate allowed us to investigate the storage efficiency, measuring a maximum specific capacitance of 94 <inline-formula><math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" display="inline"><semantics><mrow><msup><mrow><mrow><mi mathvariant="normal">F</mi><mtext> </mtext><mi mathvariant="normal">g</mi></mrow></mrow><mrow><mo>−</mo><mn>1</mn></mrow></msup></mrow></semantics></math></inline-formula> due to ZnO nanostars alone, with a marked diffusion-limited behavior. The obtained results demonstrate the promising efficacy of ZnO-based NSs as sustainable materials for pseudocapacitors.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/12/15/2588zinc oxide nanostarspseudocapacitoroxygen vacanciessubstrate contribution evaluationneutral pH |
| spellingShingle | Gisella Maria Di Mari Giacometta Mineo Giorgia Franzò Salvatore Mirabella Elena Bruno Vincenzina Strano Low-Cost, High-Yield ZnO Nanostars Synthesis for Pseudocapacitor Applications Nanomaterials zinc oxide nanostars pseudocapacitor oxygen vacancies substrate contribution evaluation neutral pH |
| title | Low-Cost, High-Yield ZnO Nanostars Synthesis for Pseudocapacitor Applications |
| title_full | Low-Cost, High-Yield ZnO Nanostars Synthesis for Pseudocapacitor Applications |
| title_fullStr | Low-Cost, High-Yield ZnO Nanostars Synthesis for Pseudocapacitor Applications |
| title_full_unstemmed | Low-Cost, High-Yield ZnO Nanostars Synthesis for Pseudocapacitor Applications |
| title_short | Low-Cost, High-Yield ZnO Nanostars Synthesis for Pseudocapacitor Applications |
| title_sort | low cost high yield zno nanostars synthesis for pseudocapacitor applications |
| topic | zinc oxide nanostars pseudocapacitor oxygen vacancies substrate contribution evaluation neutral pH |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/12/15/2588 |
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