Study of structural, optical, surface and electrochemical properties of Co3O4 nanoparticles for energy storage applications

Supercapacitors (SCs) are a kind of energy storage that replaces conventional batteries and capacitors. Compared to capacitors, they can store more energy and supply power at a faster rate. Co3O4 nanoparticles have been employed in various products, including rechargeable Li-ion batteries, solar cells, supercapacitors, field effect transistors, field emission materials, magneto-resistive devices, capacitors, and gas sensors. Cobalt is valuable in various undertakings because, as early research found, it may reveal irregular oxidation forms (Co2+, Co3+, and Co4+). Because cobalt has a dual nature, its oxide structures can contain three distinct twist forms: inferior, intermediate, and superior. Co3O4 nanoparticles were created in the current study utilizing the sol-gel technique. Co3O4 nanoparticles with a cubic phase and a spinel structure underwent a two-hour thermal treatment at 600 °C in a furnace. The exceedingly pure cubic crystalline phases are visible using XRD. The crystallite size is 47 nm. Optical parameters were discovered via FTIR and U-V Visible spectroscopy with an energy band gap of 3.67 eV. The FESEM and EDX were also used to compute the surface morphology and elemental mapping of Co3O4. Additionally, Co3O4 electrochemical characteristics as determined by cyclic voltammetry (CV) with a specific capacitance of 532 F/g, galvanostatic charge-discharge with a specific capacitance of 614.2 F/g, and EIS confirmed the capacitive behavior of the Co3O4, which displayed a straight line at low frequencies and a very brief kinetic arc at high frequencies.