The synthesis of
a highly porous composite of ZIF-67 and reduced
graphene oxide (rGO) using a simple stirring approach is reported.
The composite has been investigated as an electrode to be assembled
in a supercapacitor. In the presence of an optimized redox additive
electrolyte (RAE), that is, 0.2 M K
3
[Fe(CN)
6
] in 1 M Na
2
SO
4
, the ZIF-67/rGO composite electrode
has combined the properties of improved conductivity, high specific
surface area, and low resistance. The proposed composite electrode
in the three-electrode system shows an ultrahigh specific capacitance
of 1453 F g
–1
at a current density of 4.5 A g
–1
within a potential window of −0.1 to 0.5 V.
Further, the ZIF-67/rGO composite electrode was used to fabricate
a symmetrical supercapacitor whose operation in the presence of the
RAE has delivered high values of specific capacitance (326 F g
–1
at a current density of 3 A g
–1
) and energy density (25.5 W h kg
–1
at a power
density of 2.7 kW kg
–1
). The device could retain
about 88% of its initial specific capacitance after 1000 repeated
charge–discharge cycles. The practical usefulness of the device
was also verified by combining two symmetrical supercapacitors in
series and then lighting a white light-emitting diode (illumination
for 3 min). This study, for the first time, reports the application
of a ZIF-based composite (ZIF-67/rGO) in the presence of an RAE to
design an efficient supercapacitor electrode. This proposed design
is also scalable to a flexible symmetric device delivering high values
of specific capacitance and energy density.
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