Solvothermal synthesis of Zinc sulfide decorated Graphene (ZnS/G) nanocomposites for novel Supercapacitor electrodes

• ZnS/G nanocomposites were prepared by a simple solvothermal process.
• Electrochemical measurements were carried out in 6 M KOH electrolyte.
• Cyclic voltammetry showed the excellent capacitive behavior of the composites.
• A specific capacitance of 197.1 F/g was observed for ZnS/G-60 nanocomposites.

Zinc sulfide decorated graphene nanocomposites are synthesized by a facile solvothermal approach and the prepared composites are analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), High Resolution Transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), Ultraviolet visible spectroscopy (UV), Photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL) and Raman spectrum. Results show the effective reduction of graphene oxide (GO) to graphene and decoration of ZnS nanoparticles on graphene sheets. Towards supercapacitor applications, the electrochemical measurements of different electrodes are performed in 6 M KOH electrolyte. A series of composites with different loadings of graphene is synthesized and tested for its electrochemical properties. The specific capacitance of the electrodes are evaluated from cyclic voltammetry (CV) studies and a maximum specific capacitance of 197.1 F/g is achieved in ZnS/G-60 electrode (60 indicates the weight ratio of GO) at scan rate of 5 mV s−1. A capacitance retention of about 94.1% is observed even after 1000 cycles for ZnS/G-60 electrode, suggesting the long time cyclic stability of the composite electrode. Galvanostatic charge–discharge curves show the highly reversible process of ZnS/G-60 electrode. Electrochemical Impedance Spectrum (EIS) shows a high conductivity of composite electrode suggesting that the composites are good candidates for energy storage.

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