ZnFe-MOF derived ZnO/ZnFe2O4 nanocomposite as an electrode material for supercapacitor application

Metal-organic frameworks (MOF) derived transition metal oxides-based nanocomposites have a great potential for electrochemical energy storage application due to their electrical conductivity and high theoretical capacitance. Herein, the ZnO/ZnFe2O4 nanocomposite-based electrode materials were derived from bimetallic metal-organic frameworks (ZnFe-MOFs) through thermal treatment at 300 C-degrees, 500 and 700(degrees)C for electrode application in electrochemical supercapacitor. The structural and morphological of the synthesized electrode materials were studied using powder XRD, HE-SEM, TEM, and XPS characterization techniques. All the thermally treated MOFs converted into ZnO/ZnFe2O4 nanocomposite form and the crystallinity of ZnO/ZnFe2O4 nanocomposite gradually increased with temperatures. Interestingly, the ZnO/ZnFe2O4 electrode material obtained at 500 C-degrees (Zn-Fe-500) exhibits exceptional specific capacitance of 636.14 F g(-1) @1 A g(-1), surpassing those prepared at both lower (300 C-degrees) and higher (700 C-degrees) temperatures. The enhancement in the specific capacitance of Zn-Fe-500 is due to decreased resistivity when compared with other electrode materials.