Electrochemical performance of plate-like zinc cobaltite electrode material for supercapacitor applications

The electrochemical performance of zinc cobaltite–based nanomaterial depends on its shape and morphology. Here we report on the electrochemical performance of plate-like zinc cobaltite nanocrystalline material synthesized via a facile hydrothermal method. The synthesized material was characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis. It was found to be a single-phase zinc cobaltite nanocrystalline material with a cubic spinel crystal structure. The electrochemical performance of the synthesized plate-like zinc cobaltite nanocrystalline material was evaluated by cyclic voltammetry, cyclic chronopotentiometry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The plate-like zinc cobaltite nanocrystalline material displayed a maximum coulombic efficiency of 78% and a maximum specific capacitance of 812 F/g, and it retained 88% of its capacitance after 5100 cycles. Such electrochemical performance may qualify the plate-like zinc cobaltite nanocrystalline material as a potential electroactive material in supercapacitors.