Bio-waste-derived chicken feather carbon-integrated ZnGa2O4 nanocomposites for asymmetric supercapacitor application

Abstract The pursuit of next-generation energy storage systems necessitates the development of advanced electrode materials that offer both high charge storage capacity and outstanding cycling stability to meet the increasing need for advanced energy storage devices. Engineering hybrid nanostructures that combine conductivity, porosity, and electrochemical activity offers a promising pathway to elevate supercapacitor performance. This study reports the hydrothermal synthesis of ZnGa 2 O 4 /chicken feather carbon (ZGO/CFC) composites using varying amounts of chicken feather-derived carbon (40, 65, and 100 mg) as a sustainable carbon source. Comprehensive characterization techniques including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman Spectroscopy, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analyses confirm the formation of a well-crystallized cubic ZnGa 2 O 4 structure, along with its morphological characteristics, elemental composition, and porosity. Electrochemical characterization reveal that the ZnGa 2 O 4 /100 mg chicken feather carbon electrode exhibits the highest specific capacitance of about 642.0 F g − 1 at 1 A g − 1 surpassing its counterparts. Asymmetric supercapacitor fabricated from ZnGa 2 O 4 /100 mg chicken feather carbon electrode shows specific capacitance of 67.33 F g − 1 with energy and power densities of about 21.04 Wh kg − 1 ,750 W kg − 1 respectively. In addition, it achieves a capacitive retention rate of about 94.0% and coulombic efficiency of about 95.0% which demands the integration of metal oxides with low-cost, renewable carbon materials as an effective strategy for advancing the performance of supercapacitors. The optimized ZGO/CFC composites demonstrate promising prospects for high-performance supercapacitor applications, facilitating the development for green energy storage solutions.