High-performance pseudo-capacitor energy storage device based on a hollow-structured copper sulfide nanoflower and carbon quantum dot nanocomposite

Overview of recent developments in carbon-based nanocomposites for supercapacitor applications

Energy storage devices are recognized as environmentally friendly technologies. Supercapacitors, known for their high cycle stability, have been proposed as potential alternatives to fossil fuels. Recent studies have focused on selecting suitable electrode materials to achieve energy storage systems with high stability, high specific capacity, and biocompatibility. In particular, carbon-based electrode materials, such as graphene oxide, activated carbon, carbon nanotubes, and carbon-based quantum dots, have attracted considerable attention due to their intrinsic properties, such as high conductivity and stability. However, carbon materials alone exhibit limitations, such as low energy density and low specific capacitance. To address this limitation, the synergistic effect of carbon materials has been combined with other electroactive materials to develop electrode materials with enhanced supercapacitor properties. The present study also investigates the supercapacitor performance of carbon-based nanocomposites. It examines the effect of each carbon material (AC, CNT, GO, rGO) on improving the performance of other electroactive materials, including metal oxides, metal sulfides, MXenes, MOFs, and conductive polymers. This study provides valuable insights for further studies on carbon-based electrode materials for supercapacitor applications.

Enhancing the quantum yield and electrochemical properties of carbon quantum dots via optimized hydrothermal treatment using cellulose nanocrystals as precursors

Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) are receiving increasing attention due to their tunable redox activity, abundant surface functional groups, and excellent aqueous dispersion. However, their low quantum yield remains a significant impediment to their synthesis and practical application. In the present work, cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) were utilized as precursors for the optimized hydrothermal synthesis of CQDs. Subsequently, the synthesized CQDs were electrodeposited onto a carbon-coated surface. The influence of hydrothermal temperature and time on the quantum yield and electrochemical properties of CQDs was systematically explored. The successfully synthesized CQDs exhibited an average particle size of approximately 5 nm. The quantum yield was enhanced from 14.35 % to 23.7 % as the hydrothermal temperature increased from 180 °C to 230 °C. Additionally, the electrochemical properties of the composite films were investigated. Electrochemical assessments demonstrated an increase in specific capacitance from 60.4 mF·cm-2 to 65.2 mF·cm-2 with an elevation in temperature from 180 °C to 210 °C. Remarkably, the CQDs displayed higher energy density (8.819 mWh·cm-2) and power density (1800 mW·cm-2) at 210 °C for 8 h. This work offers a scalable approach for the efficient production of high-performance CQDs, showcasing their substantial potential for supercapacitor applications.

Fabrication and Efficient Interfacial Assembly of Bright Red-Emitting Carbon Quantum Dots for Security-Warning Textiles

Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) have attracted more attentions due to their multiple performances. However, the fabrication of long-wavelength emitting CQDs with aliphatic precursors still remains a challenge, mainly because it is difficult to generate large sp2 domains to reduce energy gap, which is not conducive to a redshift of the luminescence peak. Hereon, by regulating the pH of citric acid and thiourea mixture, a N, S co-doped CQD emitting bright red fluorescence at 635 nm is successfully fabricated through the solvothermal reaction under acidic condition, achieving a high quantum yield of 32.66%. Solvatochromic effects of the CQDs are discussed through theoretical equations and models, which confirm that the hydrogen-bonding interaction dominates the fluorescence emission behavior of CQDs in polar solvents. Besides, a feasible strategy is proposed to prepare an anti-counterfeiting textile via the deposition of red-emitting CQDs onto cotton fibers, through rapidly evaporating the preferred organic solvent. As expected, the CQD-decorated textiles exhibit encouraging anti-counterfeiting and security-warning functions, along with underwater and long-distance detectability, washability, and sun resistance. It is worth noting that the present work is innovative in realizing the application of red-light-emitting CQDs in the fields of security-warning textiles.

Unveiling the role of dopants in boosting CuS supercapacitor performance: insights from first-principles calculations

Transition metal sulfides have become famous in high energy density supercapacitor materials owing to their rich redox and high conductivity. While their development has achieved a breakthrough in terms of capacitance, there is little knowledge from the theoretical perspective on how dopants play a role in enhancing their capacitances. In this work, pseudocapacitance and quantum capacitance were evaluated through first-principles calculation to describe their role in transition metal sulfide, which here is represented by copper sulfide (CuS). The resulting quantum capacitance (CQ) was calculated in both the bulk and surface of CuS to determine which structure has a greater effect on the capacitance of the system. It was observed that the dopant increased CQ in the bulk system, which is different from the CQ of surface structures. Meanwhile, K+ ions were introduced on the surface structure to calculate transfer charge and work function shift, thus determining pseudocapacitance. All dopant types were able to increase the pseudocapacitance value, with Fe doping showing the highest capacitance of 111 F g-1, which is higher than that of the pristine structure (47 F g-1). The role of the dopant is discussed in detail in this work. Our results suggest that the increased capacitance of doped TMS materials was originated not only from the geometrical perspective but also from the higher pseudocapacitance value. Quantum capacitance, alternatively, could also contribute to the system when the dopant occurs in the bulk rather than only in the surface structure. This work may open a new perspective on how dopants play a role in increasing supercapacitor performance.

Applications of carbon quantum dots in electrochemical energy storage devices

Supercapacitors (SCs), including electric double-layer capacitors (EDLCs), pseudocapacitors, and hybrid capacitors, are esteemed for their high power density and attractive features such as robust safety, fast charging, low maintenance, and prolonged cycling lifespan, sparking significant interest. Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) are fluorescent nanomaterials with small size, broad excitation spectrum, stable fluorescence, and adjustable emission wavelengths. They are widely used in optoelectronics, medical diagnostics, and energy storage due to their biocompatibility, low toxicity, rich surface functional groups, abundant electron-hole pairs, large specific surface area, and tunable heteroatom doping. In this short review, we briefly discussed the advantages and disadvantages of bottom-up and top-down of CQD synthesis methods. The arc-discharge technique, laser ablation technique, plasma treatment, ultrasound synthesis technique, electrochemical technique, chemical exfoliation, and combustion are among the initial top-down approaches. The subsequent section delineates waste-derived and bottom-up methods, encompassing microwave synthesis, hydrothermal synthesis, thermal pyrolysis, and the metal-organic framework template-assisted technique. In addition, this short review focuses on the operational mechanism of supercapacitors, their properties, and the utilization of CQDs in supercapacitors.

Application of Copper-Sulfur Compound Electrode Materials in Supercapacitors

Supercapacitors (SCs) are a novel type of energy storage device that exhibit features such as a short charging time, a long service life, excellent temperature characteristics, energy saving, and environmental protection. The capacitance of SCs depends on the electrode materials. Currently, carbon-based materials, transition metal oxides/hydroxides, and conductive polymers are widely used as electrode materials. However, the low specific capacitance of carbon-based materials, high cost of transition metal oxides/hydroxides, and poor cycling performance of conductive polymers as electrodes limit their applications. Copper-sulfur compounds used as electrode materials exhibit excellent electrical conductivity, a wide voltage range, high specific capacitance, diverse structures, and abundant copper reserves, and have been widely studied in catalysis, sensors, supercapacitors, solar cells, and other fields. This review summarizes the application of copper-sulfur compounds in SCs, details the research directions and development strategies of copper-sulfur compounds in SCs, and analyses and summarizes the research hotspots and outlook, so as to provide a reference and guidance for the use of copper-sulfur compounds.

Plasmonic and Photothermal Effects of CuS Nanoparticles Biosynthesized from Acid Mine Drainage with Potential Drug Delivery Applications

In this work, the plasmonic and photothermal effects of CuS nanoparticles biosynthesized from acid mine drainage (AMD) were studied. CuS were formed by delivering the H2S generated by a sulfidogenic bioreactor to an off-line system containing the AMD. The precipitates collected after contact for an hour were washed and physico-chemically characterized, showing a nanoparticle with a mean diameter of 33 nm, crystalline nature and semiconductor behavior with a direct band gap of 2.2 eV. Moreover, the CuS nanoparticles exhibited localized surface plasmonic resonance in the near infrared range, with a high absorption band centered at 973 nm of wavelength, which allowed an increase in the temperature of the surrounding media under irradiation. Finally, the cytotoxicity of the CuS nanoparticles as well as their potential use as part of drug delivery platforms were investigated.

Emerging Trends of Carbon-Based Quantum Dots: Nanoarchitectonics and Applications

Carbon-based quantum dots (QDs) have emerged as a fascinating class of advanced materials with a unique combination of optoelectronic, biocompatible, and catalytic characteristics, apt for a plethora of applications ranging from electronic to photoelectrochemical devices. Recent research works have established carbon-based QDs for those frontline applications through improvements in materials design, processing, and device stability. This review broadly presents the recent progress in the synthesis of carbon-based QDs, including carbon QDs, graphene QDs, graphitic carbon nitride QDs and their heterostructures, as well as their salient applications. The synthesis methods of carbon-based QDs are first introduced, followed by an extensive discussion of the dependence of the device performance on the intrinsic properties and nanostructures of carbon-based QDs, aiming to present the general strategies for device designing with optimal performance. Furthermore, diverse applications of carbon-based QDs are presented, with an emphasis on the relationship between band alignment, charge transfer, and performance improvement. Among the applications discussed in this review, much focus is given to photo and electrocatalytic, energy storage and conversion, and bioapplications, which pose a grand challenge for rational materials and device designs. Finally, a summary is presented, and existing challenges and future directions are elaborated.

Synthesis and Applications of Nanostructured Hollow Transition Metal Chalcogenides

Nanostructures with well-defined structures and rich active sites occupy an important position for efficient energy storage and conversion. Recent studies have shown that a transition metal chalcogenide (TMC) has a unique structure, such as diverse structural morphology, excellent stability, high efficiency, etc., and is used in the fields of electrochemistry and catalysis. The nanohollow structure metal chalcogenide has broad application prospects due to the existence of a large number of active sites and a wide internal space, allowing a large number of ions and electrons to be transported. Summarizing synthetic strategies of nanostructured hollow transition metal sulfides (HTMC) and their applications in the field of energy storage and conversion is discussed here. Through some representative examples, the fabrication and properties of various hollow structures are analyzed, which prompt some emerging nanoengineering designs to be applied to transition metal chalcogenides. It is hoped that the construction of the HTMC will lead to a deeper understanding for the further exploration of energy storage and conversion.

3D hollow cage copper cobalt sulfide derived from metal–organic frameworks for high-performance asymmetric supercapacitors

The fabrication of the advanced MOF-based 3D hollow cage ternary bimetallic material CuCo2S4 for high performance asymmetric supercapacitors.

Copper sulfide nanoparticles with potential bifunctional properties: supercapacitor and photocatalysis

Pure hexagonal CuS nanoparticles with stable high capacitance and photocatalytic activity were obtained by a mild solvothermal method.