Investigating the Effect of Carbon Nanotubes Decorated SmVO ₄ ‐MoS ₂ Nanocomposite for Energy Storage Enhancement via VARTM‐Fabricated Solid‐State Structural Supercapacitors Using Woven Carbon Fiber

Traditional supercapacitors are cumbersome and need separate enclosures, which add weight and reduce space efficiency. In contrast, structural supercapacitors combine energy storage with load-bearing materials, optimizing space and weight for automotive and aerospace applications. This study investigates the synthesis of SmVO₄-MoS₂ and SmVO₄-MoS₂-CNT nanocomposites, focusing on optimizing CNT concentration in SmVO₄-MoS₂-CNT for high-performance supercapacitors. The optimal concentration of SmVO₄-MoS₂-CNT is identified and used to fabricate structural supercapacitor devices via the vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) technique. The results indicate that the specific capacitance of Sm-Mo-C5, using a three-electrode system, reached 1.01 F cm^-2 at a current density of 2.187 mA cm^-2. The performance improvement is attributed to the synergistic interaction among SmVO₄, MoS₂, and CNTs, collectively enhancing conductivity and active site availability. The practical application of this study is demonstrated by synthesizing Sm-Mo-C5 on woven carbon fiber (WCF) and subsequently fabricating a structural supercapacitor device (SSD) using the VARTM. The SSD, produced via VARTM, exhibited a specific capacitance of 0.287 F cm^- ² at a current density of 2 A cm^-2. The device showcased exceptional cyclic stability, maintaining 72.5% of its initial capacitance after 50,000 charge-discharge cycles. Additionally, it achieved a maximum energy density of 79.86 Wh kg^-1 at a power density of 1017.69 W kg^-1.