Ultra- ordered array of CuCo2S4 microspheres on co-doped nitrogen, sulfur-porous graphene sheets with superior electrochemical performance for supercapacitor application

Abstract

Engineering and designing unique morphologies is a smart way to tune the characteristics of the material. Here, in this work, beyond the existing knowledge, we have focused on developing novel methods for synthesis of high performance CuCo2S4 (CCS) and Graphene nanostructured material for supercapacitor applications. We first developed a rich mesoporous CCS-graphene structure, and for further enhancement of electrochemical performance, we incorporated nitrogen(N) and sulfur(S) into the graphene (NS–pG) framework. Further, through a controllable synthesis procedure dominated by nucleation and growth mechanism, we could obtain a highly ordered array of CuCo2S4 microspheres on the surface of graphene sheets confirmed by FESEM images. Successful material modifications have led to realize a novel CuCo2S4 /NS–pG composite structure with remarkable electrochemical performance. The as-obtained, tuned hybrid CuCo2S4 /NS–pG composite structure exhibited great surface area, excellent structural stability, and high electrical conductivity due to its modified morphology. Based on these unique advantages, the hybrid CuCo2S4 /NS–pG composite-based electrode revealed exceptional specific capacitance of 1357.8 F g−1 at 1 A g−1, superior cycle performance of 95.9% after 5000 cycles, and distinguished maximum energy and power density of 80.59 W h kg −1 and 10479.53 W kg −1, respectively, which are superior to the performance of any reported CuCo2S4 electrodes.