Cobalt-anchored vanadium carbide mxene Nano composite For super capacitor and water splitting applications

Abstract

Electrochemical Capacitors and Hydrogen production through water splitting into constituent H2 and O2 is a captivating way out for long-lasting energy storage. Developing an efficient and versatile nanocomposite from earth-abundant elements that is stable and active for storing energy and conversion is pivotal with regards to cost and convenience to simplify the overall system design. This thesis presented a simple, cheap and one step synthesis of Cobalt-doped Vanadium Carbide MXene (Co@V2CTx) nanocomposite through co-precipitation method , to be utilized as an effective, durable, and stable electrode for supercapacitor and as an electrocatalyst for water electrolysis. In 1M KOH, the Co@V2CTx nanocomposite supported on a nickel form produced at 2mVs-1, a capacitance of 1259Fg-1. Also, its specific charge capacity is 82.2 Ahg-1, energy, and power density of 26.7Whkg-1 and 325Wkg-1 respectively at 1Ag-1 current density. In addition, the Co @V2CTx nanocomposite shows excellent HER and OER catalytic activity exhibiting a minimal overpotential of 103mV and 170mV respectively at 10mAcm-2 and Tafel slope of 83mVdec-1 for HER and 145mVdec-1 for OER, which is comparable to commercial Platinum catalyst. This excellent performance of Co@V2CTx nanocomposite may be due to the synergistic effects produced when Cobalt is intercalated into Vanadium Carbide MXene. This thesis features an easy, cheap, and effective method to synthesis MXene-based nanocomposite for application for energy storage and conversion. Key words: Supercapacitor, Synergetic, Hydrogen Evolution Reaction, Overpotential, Specific capacitance.