α-MnO₂/h-MoO₃ Hybrid Material for High Performance Supercapacitor Electrode and Photocatalyst

Abstract

α-MnO2/h-MoO3 hybrid metal oxide materials with different weight ratios were successfully synthesized. The prepared nanocomposite material has been demonstrated to be an electrode material for potential application in electrochemical charge storage devices as well as an efficient photocatalyst for dye degradation. The results showed high ionic conductivity, better charge transfer ability, viability for high current density, and enhanced specific capacitance (Sc) with appreciable cyclic stability. Electrochemical performances of the prepared materials were investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) analysis, galvanostatic charge–discharge (CD) techniques, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). We were able to achieve a maximum Sc value of 412 F/g and 358 F/g at a current density of 1 A/g for the composite with 25% h-MoO3 mass loading from a three electrode cell and two electrode symmetric cell configuration, respectively, and it could deliver an outstanding energy density of 50 Wh kg–1 with a power density of 1 KW kg–1, which is a very appreciable result compared to bare metal oxide electrode materials. In addition, 94% of methylene blue (MB) degradation was observed for the prepared composite material under visible light irradiation. The possible photocatalytic mechanism is schematically illustrated.