Scalable Synthesis of ZrO₂ Nanoparticles through Imidazolic Precursor and Evaluation of its Energy Storage Performance

Abstract

Herein, we reported the facile synthesis of zirconium oxide (ZrO2) nanoparticles from an imidazole based organic precursor followed by calcination of 750 °C in the thermostat. The bonding properties of the as‐synthesized nanoparticles were examined by FTIR and Raman spectroscopy. X‐Ray Diffraction (XRD) analysed the phase formation of nanoparticles, and spherical‐shaped nanoparticles were examined by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM) and Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) spectroscopy. The high surface area of 65 m2 g−1 was analysed by the N2 adsorption‐desorption isotherm using a Brunauer‐Emmett‐Teller (BET) surface analyser. The electrochemical performance, like cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanometric charging‐discharging (GCD) and impedance spectroscopy (EIS), were analysed. The electrochemical performances were carried out by using aqueous electrolytes of 1 M KOH. The specific capacitance was observed 246.98 F g−1. The asymmetric supercapacitor device (ASC) is fabricated using synthesized ZrO2 nanoparticles/activated charcoal (AC). The device exhibits utmost specific capacitance of 29.15 F g−1, and energy density of 13 Wh kg−1 with a power of 3201 W kg−1, respectively. The device maintains excellent coulombic efficiency, and the value is more than 98 % after the 3000 charge‐discharge cycles. The enhanced electrochemical properties of zirconium oxide are due to the high surface area and porous nature.