Optical and electrical properties of molybdenum oxide nanoparticles for super capacitor applications

Molybdenum oxide nanoparticles (MoO3 NPs) were prepared by the ultrasonication method using a surfactant. Prepared samples exhibited a hexagonal form with excellent crystallite form, without any impurities, as observed from the powder X-ray diffraction technique. Rod-like structures with various layers were observed from the SEM images, which is the characteristic nature of MoO3 NPs. With the use of surfactant, the agglomeration was reduced. Energy bandgap obtained from UV-Visible spectrograph, the Eg value was increased from 3.24 to 3.26 eV in the presence of surfactant. Super capacitor studies were performed by using Cyclic Voltammetry showed that the prepared samples are suitable for enhancing the efficiency of electrodes by coating them with these nanoparticles. The performance was confirmed by observing the enhanced specific capacitance and the charging-discharging curves. Hence, the prepared samples are useful in designing advanced super capacitors that can replace the existing lithium-ion batteries and capacitors.