Improvement of Co3V2O8 Nanowire Driven by Morphology for Supercapacitor and Water Splitting Applications

Abstract

Supercapacitors have a better power density than batteries; however, there is room for improvement in energy density. Co3V2O8 nanoparticles were synthesized using the hydrothermal approach, with the reaction duration tuned to enhance energy density. At a 10 h hydrothermal reaction time, bundles of nanowires with void spaces were obtained, demonstrating excellent areal capacitance of 4.67 F/cm2, energy density of 94 μWh/cm2, and power density of 573 μW/cm2 at a current density of 3 mA/cm2. With activated carbon (AC) and Co3V2O8 nanoparticles prepared over a 10-h hydrothermal reaction period, an asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) was assembled. The device performed admirably in terms of energy storage capacity, with an areal capacitance of 781 mF/cm2 and a volumetric capacitance of 1.43 F/cm3. The ASC’s cyclic stability demonstrated capacity retention of 83.40% after 5000 cycles. The powering of red LEDs was used to show practical applications. In a 2M KOH electrolyte, the optimized Co3V2O8 electrode demonstrated good electrocatalytic performance for the hydrogen evolution process, with an overpotential of 259 mV at a current density of 10 mA/cm2. Overall, water splitting studies revealed a potential of 1.78 V with little potential enhancement after 8 h of Chrono potentiometric stability. As a result, Co3V2O8 nanoparticles prepared at a 10 h hydrothermal reaction time offer excellent electrode materials for energy storage in supercapacitors and electrocatalytic applications for total water splitting.