Synthesis, characterization and electrochemical evaluation of a novel high performance SnO2/ZnCo2O4/graphene-oxide ternary nanocomposites for supercapacitor applications

This study developed ternary SnO 2 /ZnCo 2 O 4 /GO nanocomposites through a multistage process counting (i) hydrothermal processes to synthesize ZnCo 2 O 4 nanostructures, (ii) in-situ sonochemical method to prepare SnO 2 /ZnCo 2 O 4 nanoparticles, and (iii) mild hydrothermal reaction to fabricate SnO 2 /ZnCo 2 O 4 /GO nanocomposites. Ternary SnO 2 /ZnCo 2 O 4 /GO nanocomposite with a synergistic effect of SnO 2 nanoparticles, ZnCo 2 O 4 nanostructures and GO nanosheets exhibited a great specific capacitance of 645 F g −1 at 2.5 A g −1 . While this value for SnO 2 /ZnCo 2 O 4 , ZnCo 2 O 4 , and SnO 2 nanostructures, was approximately 400, 365, and 304.55 F g −1 , respectively. Three-component SnO 2 /ZnCo 2 O 4 /GO nanostructures displayed exceptional cyclability, retaining 82.36 % of its initial capacity after 1000 cycles of cyclic voltammetry testing at a sweeping scan rate of 50 mV s −1 . Additionally, a hybrid supercapacitor (HSC) was fabricated using SnO 2 /ZnCo 2 O 4 /GO and activated carbon (AC) as cathode and anode electrodes, respectively. The HSC device achieved a great power density of 1299.80 W kg −1 and an energy density of 53.4 W h kg −1 within a potential range of 0–1.3 V. These results confirm that three-components SnO 2 /ZnCo 2 O 4 /GO nanocomposites are promising candidate for usage in advanced energy storage devices. • Novel ternary SnO 2 /ZnCo 2 O 4 /GO nanocomposite was synthesized via multiple-stages route. • The optimum SnO 2 /ZnCo 2 O 4 /GO (SZCG-3) exhibited remarkable high specific capacitance and long cycle stability. • The assembled pouch-type HSCs significantly provide a notable power density. • This work demonstrates that the synergistic effect.