MOF-Derived ZrO 2/COF/Carbon Composites for High-Performance Supercapacitor

Improvements in efficient electrode materials are crucial for improving the performance of electrochemical supercapacitors. This study integrated zirconium dioxide (ZrO 2 ) with a melamine-based covalent organic framework (COF, denoted as MATFB) to develop hybrid electrode materials for energy storage applications. Two sources of ZrO 2 were analyzed: commercial ZrO 2 and ZrO 2 obtained from the Zr-based metal-organic framework (MOF), i.e., UiO-66. The resulting composites were carbonized at 400, 600, and 800 °C to produce porous ZrO 2 /C@COF materials with enhanced electrochemical properties. The electrochemical performance was evaluated by cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCDC), and kinetic analysis employing the b-value and Dunn techniques. The ZrO 2 @MATFB composite demonstrated an exceptional specific capacitance of around 306 F/g at 1 A/g, significantly exceeding that of MATFB (81 F/g) and UiO-66@MATFB (174 F/g). Carbonized composites demonstrated enhanced performance, with UiO-66@MATFB_600 offering specific capacitance of 199 F/g and ZrO 2 @MATFB_800 achieving around 191 F/g at 1 A/g. Kinetic analysis revealed b-values between 0.69 and 0.87, signifying a hybrid charge-storage mechanism that combines surface-capacitive activity with diffusion-controlled processes. The findings suggest that ZrO 2 /MATFB-derived carbon composites are promising candidates for high-performance supercapacitor electrodes.