Electrochemical battery-type supercapacitor based on chemosynthesized Cu2S Ag2S composite electrode

Portable paper-based microfluidic devices based on CuS@Ag2S nanocomposites for colorimetric/electrochemical dual-mode detection of dopamine

The development of integrated multiple signal outputs within a single platform is highly significant for efficient and accurate on-site biomarker detection. Herein, colorimetric/electrochemical dual-mode microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (μPADs) were designed for portable, visual and accurate dopamine (DA) detection. The dual-mode μPADs, featuring folded structure, integrate a colorimetric layer and an electrochemical layer using wax printing and laser-induced graphene (LIG) pyrolysis techniques, allowing the vertical flow of analyte solution. Copper sulfide @ silver sulfide (CuS@Ag2S) nanocomposites, with excellent laccase-like and electrocatalytic performance, were modified onto the detection zones as colorimetric/electrochemical sensing substrates for dual-mode DA recognition. In the colorimetric detection zones, the obvious violet-colored signals were generated based on the enhanced laccase-like oxidation reaction induced. Further, amplified electrical response signals toward DA were collected in electrochemical detection zone due to the epitaxial heterostructure of silver sulfide (Ag2S). Consequently, the developed CuS@Ag2S-incorporated μPADs exhibit linear responses for colorimetric and electrochemical DA detection in ranges of 2-50 μM and 0.5-70 μM, respectively, with the limit of detection (LOD) of 0.675 μM and 0.086 μM. This work integrates multiple detection modes into μPADs, providing the portable, reliable and visual alternative to traditional detection methods of DA for POCT.

Ni12P5 and Ni12P5-rGO for multifunctional electrocatalyst and supercapacitor application

Transition metal phosphides are crucial for various environmental and energy applications. In this study, porous Ni12P5 and Ni12P5-rGO were synthesized using a one-step solvothermal method. Red phosphorus served as the phosphorus source, while ethylene glycol acted as a capping agent to promote the formation of nanomaterials within a nitrogen-rich atmosphere. The catalytic performance of these materials was evaluated through their hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), oxygen evolution reaction (OER), and capacitance properties. Notably, Ni12P5-rGO exhibited Tafel slopes of 66 mV/dec for OER and 33 mV/dec for HER, indicating enhanced charge transfer efficiency compared to Ni12P5, which showed slopes of 78 mV/dec and 102 mV/dec, respectively. This improvement suggests that Ni12P5-rGO facilitates faster electron transfer, resulting in superior catalytic performance. Additionally, the synergistic effect of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) contributes to improved charge storage capabilities. The Ni12P5-rGO demonstrated a specific capacitance of 192 F/g, significantly higher than the 110 F/g observed for Ni12P5 at a current density of 1 A/g. Remarkably, these materials maintained their capacity over 5000 cycles, achieving a commendable 98 % coulombic efficiency. These findings highlight the potential of Ni12P5-rGO as an effective material for energy conversion and storage applications, showcasing its promising role in advancing the efficiency of related technologies.

Nonporous, conducting bimetallic coordination polymers with an advantageous electronic structure for boosted faradaic capacitance

Conductive coordination polymers (c-CPs) are promising electrode materials for supercapacitors (SCs) owing to their excellent conductivity, designable structures and dense redox sites. However, despite their high intrinsic density and outstanding electrical properties, nonporous c-CPs have largely been overlooked in SCs because of their low specific surface areas and deficient ion-diffusion channels. Herein, we demonstrate that the nonporous c-CPs Ag5BHT (BHT = benzenehexathiolate) and CuAg4BHT are both battery-type capacitor materials with high specific capacitances and a large potential window. Notably, nonporous CuAg4BHT with bimetallic bis(dithiolene) units exhibits superior specific capacitance (372 F g-1 at 0.5 A g-1) and better rate capability than isostructural Ag5BHT. Structural and electrochemical studies showed that the enhanced charge transfer between different metal sites is responsible for its outstanding capacitive performance. Additionally, the assembled CuAg4BHT//AC SC device displays a favorable energy density of 17.1 W h kg-1 at a power density of 446.1 W kg-1 and an excellent cycling stability (90% capacitance retention after 5000 cycles). This work demonstrates the potential applications of such nonporous redox-active c-CPs in SCs and highlights the roles of bimetallic redox sites in capacitive performance, which hold promise for the future development of c-CP-based energy storage technologies.

The supercapattery designed with a binary composite of niobium silver sulfide (NbAg2S) and activated carbon for enhanced electrochemical performance

A supercapattery is a hybrid device that is a combination of a battery and a capacitor. Niobium sulfide (NbS), silver sulfide (Ag₂S), and niobium silver sulfide (NbAg₂S) were synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method. NbAg₂S (50/50 wt% ratio) had a specific capacity of 654 C g^-1, which was higher than the combined specific capacities of NbS (440 C g^-1) and Ag₂S (232 C g^-1), as determined by the electrochemical investigation of a three-cell assembly. Activated carbon and NbAg₂S were combined to develop the asymmetric device (NbAg₂S//AC). A maximum specific capacity of 142 C g^-1 was delivered by the supercapattery (NbAg₂S//AC). The supercapattery (NbAg₂S/AC) provided 43.06 W h kg^-1 energy density while retaining 750 W kg^-1 power density. The stability of the NbAg₂S//AC device was evaluated by subjecting it to 5000 cycles. After 5000 cycles, the (NbAg₂S/AC) device still had 93% of its initial capacity. This research indicates that merging NbS and Ag₂S (50/50 wt% ratio) may be the best choice for future energy storage technologies.

Synthesis of porous Ag2S-NiCo2S4 hollow architecture as effective electrode material with high capacitive performances

Fabrication of highly reactive and cost-effective electrode materials is a key to efficient functioning of green energy technologies. Decorating redox-active metal sulfides with conductive dopants is one of the most effective approaches to enhance electric conductivity and consequently boost capacitive properties. Herein, hierarchically hollow Ag₂S-NiCo₂S₄ architectures are designed with an enhanced conductivity by a simple solvothermal approach. With the favorable porous characteristics and composition, the optimized Ag₂S-NiCo₂S₄-5 electrode exhibits higher specific capacitance (276.5 mAh g^-1 at a current density of 1 A g^-1), a good rate performance (56.3% capacity retention at 50 A g^-1), and an improved cycling stability (92.4% retention after 2000 cycles). This finding originates from the enhanced charge transportation ability within the hierarchical structure, abundant electroactive sites, and low contact resistance. In addition, a battery supercapacitor device constructed with the Ag₂S-NiCo₂S₄-5 as a positive electrode displays a maximum energy density of 63.3Wh kg^-1 at an energy density of 821.8 W kg^-1 with an excellent cycling stability (89.4% capacity retention after 10 000 cycles). Therefore, the present work puts forward new possibility to develop composite electrodes for energy storage battery-supercapacitor.

Hierarchical Manganese–Iron-Layered Double Hydroxide Nanosheets for Asymmetric Supercapacitors

This work presents a synthesis of hierarchical manganese–iron-layered double hydroxide (MnFe-LDH) nanostructured electrodes using the hydrothermal synthesis route by varying the reaction time for electrochemical energy storage applications. The electrochemical behavior of the MnFe-LDH electrodes synthesized at different reaction times was analyzed in a three-electrode cell configuration using 2 M KOH electrolyte. The uniform and well-organized MnFe-LDH nanosheet electrode (MnFe-12h) showed the maximum areal capacitance of 2013 mFcm−2 at a 5 mVs−1 scan rate, and 1886 mFcm−2 at a 25 mA applied current. Furthermore, the electrochemical behavior of MnFe-12h was examined by assembling an asymmetric cell device using activated carbon (AC) as a negative electrode and MnFe-12h as a positive electrode and it was tested in a wide voltage window range of 0.0 to 1.6 V. This asymmetric cell device achieved an appropriate energy density of 44.9 µW h cm−2 (55.01 W h kg−1), with a power density of 16 mW cm−2 (5000 W kg−1) at an applied current of 10 mA, and had a long-term cycling stability (93% capacitance retention after 5000 cycles) within the 1.6 V operating voltage window.