Hydrothermally Grown SnO 2 and SnO 2 /rGO Nanocomposite and Its Physio-Electrochemical Studies for Pseudocapacitor Electrode Applications

Abstract

In this present work, the transition metal oxides of SnO2 and SnO2/rGO nanocomposite were synthesized through a facile hydrothermal method for supercapacitor electrode material applications. The structural, morphological and elemental analysis of the synthesised samples were characterised by X-ray diffractometer technique (XRD), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) and High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM). The morphology of SnO2 was agglomeration of quasi-spherical shape particles with a diameter range of 12–19 nm as observed using the HR-TEM technique. The optical properties were characterised by UV-vis and Raman spectroscopy. The electrochemical performance of SnO2 and SnO2/rGO nanocomposite electrode was studied in a 3M KOH electrolyte. A specific capacitance of 346 F g− 1 at the current density of 0.95 A g− 1 for SnO2/rGO nanocomposite electrode was recorded, which was significantly higher than that of as-synthesised SnO2 electrode (267 F g− 1). The obtained higher capacitance resulted due to the synergistic effect of excellent conductivity and high surface area of rGO within the composite electrode. The exceptional electrochemical properties clearly indicate that the SnO2/rGO nanocomposites are the best for highly efficient pseudocapacitor electrodes in future energy storage devices applications.