Simonkolleite-graphene foam composites and their superior electrochemical performance

• Graphene foam (GF) was grown by atmospheric Chemical Vapor Deposition (AP-CVD).
• In situ solvothermal technique was used to prepare simonkolleite-graphene foam composite (simonK/GF) electrode.
• Microscopy results reveal exfoliation of thinner simonK sheets interlaced with sheets of GF.
• Presence of active mesopores required for ion transport and improved surface area is seen due to graphene foam addition.
• The simonK/GF electrode exhibited improved electrochemical performance compared to simonkolleite electrode alone.

Simonkolleite-graphene foam (SimonK/GF) composite has been synthesized by a facile solvothermal and environmentally friendly technique with excellent electrochemical properties. The obtained product was initially analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared resonance (FTIR) spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry (CV) techniques. The microscopy results reveal hexagonal sheets interlaced with each other and adjacent graphene sheets. The existence of graphene foam in the simonK/GF composite is further confirmed from the structural and the optical characteristics obtained from XRD and FTIR respectively. The BET results obtained indicate an improvement in the surface area due to the addition of graphene foam to a value of 39.58 m2 g−1. The N2 adsorption/desorption also shows the presence of active mesopores required for charge transport. As a promising electrode material for supercapacitors, the composite shows a high specific capacitance value of 1094 F/g at 1 A/g with a coulombic efficiency of 100% after 1000 cycles. These results show a potential for adoption of this composite in energy storage applications.