Effect of cerium concentration on supercapacitor performance of BiVO4 nanosheet

In the present work, BiVO4 nanosheets (BV) and different concentrations of cerium-doped BiVO4 (BV-Ce; x = 0.05–0.2) nanosheets were prepared via a one-pot hydrothermal method. The structural characterization and surface morphology studies were done by Raman Spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope, and Transmission Electron Microscopy. From the XRD data, it is clear that doping of cerium with bismuth does not affect its host structure. Raman studies were conducted to get structural information about the prepared samples. A 2-dimensional morphology was obtained from the SEM image. The distribution of the Ce element over BV-Ce is confirmed by the atomic weight percentage displayed in energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer spectra. Cyclic Voltammetry, Galvanostatic Charge Discharge (GCD), and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) techniques were used to study the electrochemical properties of the synthesized samples. Doping with cerium enhances the electrochemical properties of pure BiVO4, as obtained from those analyses. At the scan rate of 5 mV/s−1, from the charge–discharge data, BV-0.1Ce has a specific capacitance as high as 1253.13 Fg−1.