Synthesis and characterization of ternary nanocomposite based on Ag-Fe₃O₄/rGO for electrochemical application

Abstract

In-situ synthesis of a ternary nanocomposite based on Ag-Fe₃O₄/rGO by utilizing Azadirachta indica leaf extract as a reducing agent has been carried out. The morphological, EDX, and structural analyses confirm the reduction of GO into rGO by forming crystalline Fe₃O₄ and Ag nanoparticles in the rGO matrix, with a crystalline size of 25.77 nm. Further, the FTIR, UV-Vis, and BET analyses confirmed the effective interaction between Fe₃O₄ and Ag nanoparticles in the rGO matrix, tunable bandgap, and a higher specific surface area. Various electrochemical techniques such as cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge-discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy have been performed in a 2 M KOH electrolyte to investigate its electrochemical performance. The synthesized ternary nanocomposite exhibits a specific capacitance of 493 Fg⁻¹ at a current density of 1 Ag⁻¹, with notable capacitive retention of 91.5% even after 10,000 cycles. This nontoxic technique provides a substitute pathway for the formation of graphene-based ternary nanocomposites with exceptional structural, morphological, optical, surface, and electrochemical properties. The ternary nanocomposite synthesized through this procedure displays an outstanding specific capacitance, cyclic stability, and corrosion resistance and hence the possibility of using nanocomposite as a promising electrode material can be explored for energy storage devices.

Keywords:

• AgNPs
• azadirachta indica
• graphene oxide
• Ag-Fe₃O₄/rGO
• electrochemical performance

Acknowledgements

The author, Mr Karan Bansal, expresses gratitude to SLIET Longowal for providing financial support in the form of a Senior Research Fellowship (SRF). The authors also acknowledge the Central Instrumentation Laboratory of SLIET Longowal for granting access to analytical facilities for characterization.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.