Abstract
The quest for ever-increasing indispensable energy demands of the human race led to the design and development of novel nanomaterials for affordable, alternative energy storage structures and devices. Graphitic carbon nitride g-C3N4 (GCN) with unique physical and chemical properties have emerged as promising electrode material for electrochemical energy storage solutions due to its nitrogen-rich framework. However, the bare GCN has poor electrical conductivity and severe irreversible capacity loss. In this work, we report an efficient strategy to enhance the electrical and electrochemical performance of g-C3N4 nanocomposites decorated with copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles. The structural, morphological, and electronic properties of as-synthesized GCN-CuO nanocomposites were systematically investigated. The presence of CuO NPs significantly contributed towards improved electrical conductivity and dielectric attributes of the composite system. The heterostructure electrodes of GCN-CuO nanocomposite exhibits superior electrochemical performance with a specific capacitance of 248 F/g @ a current density of 2 A/g. Further, the GCN-CuO nanocomposite electrodes exhibit excellent cycling stability with a capacitance retention and coulombic efficiency of 83% and 96% respectively after 5000 cycles. An energy density of 73 (Whkg-1) could be achieved in these GCN-CuO nanocomposite electrodes at a power density 1662 (kWkg-1). Due to superior electric, dielectric and electrochemical performances the modified electrodes based on GCN-CuO proposed in this research could be potential candidates for high performance supercapacitors and can provide new perspectives for designing materials in energy storage applications.