Green Synthesis of NiFe2O4 Nano-Spinel Oxide-Decorated Carbon Nanotubes for Efficient Capacitive Performance—Effect of Electrolyte Concentration

Abstract

Energy storage applications received great attention due to environmental aspects. A green method was used to prepare a composite of nickel–iron-based spinel oxide nanoparticle@CNT. The prepared materials were characterized by different analytical methods like X-ray diffraction, X-ray photon spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmitted electron microscopy (TEM). The synergistic effect between nickel–iron oxide and carbon nanotubes was characterized using different electrochemical methods like cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charging/discharging (GCD), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The capacitances of the pristine NiFe2O4 and NiFe2O4@CNT were studied in different electrolyte concentrations. The effect of OH− concentrations was studied for modified and non-modified surfaces. Furthermore, the specific capacitance was estimated for pristine and modified NiFe2O4 at a wide current range (5 to 17 A g−1). Thus, the durability of different surfaces after 2000 cycles was studied, and the capacitance retention was estimated as 78.8 and 90.1% for pristine and modified NiFe2O4. On the other hand, the capacitance rate capability was observed as 65.1% (5 to 17 A g−1) and 62.4% (5 to 17 A g−1) for NiFe2O4 and NiFe2O4@CNT electrodes.