Recycled ZnO-fused macroporous 3D graphene oxide aerogel composites for high-performance asymmetric supercapacitors

Abstract

In the arena of energy storage device, asymmetric supercapacitors (ASCs) are considered a key category due to its high-power density and energy densities. In this study, a novel macroporous microrecycled ZnO nanoparticles (mi-ZnO NPs) recovered from spent Zn–C battery-decorated three-dimensional graphene aerogel (GA) composite has been synthesized via simple eco-friendly synthetic method, which is used as a proficient anode material to fabricate ASC. The interconnected macroporous networks and ∼40-nm microrecycled ZnO NPs incorporated GA (mi-ZnO–GA) enhanced the surface area of anode materials, which lead to achieve a formation of high-performance ASC. Here, we composed ASCs from a microrecycled ZnO thin film (cathode) and mi-ZnO–GA composite (anode), which reveals fast charging/discharging characteristics, stable widen cell voltage, superior power, and energy densities (13.7 W h/kg, 13.2 kW/kg), and finally stable cyclability (76.8% retention after 5000 cycles). These outcomes open up the window for microrecycled ZnO NPs incorporated GA (mi-ZnO–GA) as a prominent anode material for high-performance energy storage devices.