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Microbial electrosynthesis (MES) presents a versatile approach for efficiently converting carbon dioxide (CO2) into valuable products. However, poor electron uptake by the microorganisms from the cathode severely limits the performance of MES. In this study, a graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4)-metal–organic framework (MOF) i.e. HKUST-1 composite was newly designed and synthesized as the cathode catalyst for MES operations. The physiochemical analysis such as X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy showed the successful synthesis of g-C3N4-HKUST-1, whereas electrochemical assessments revealed its enhanced kinetics for redox reactions. The g-C3N4-HKUST-1 composite displayed excellent biocompatibility to develop electroactive biohybrid catalyst for CO2 reduction. The MES with g-C3N4-HKUST-1 biohybrid demonstrated an excellent current uptake of 1.7 mA/cm2, which was noted higher as compared to the MES using g-C3N4 biohybrid (1.1 mA/cm2). Both the MESs could convert CO2 into acetic and isobutyric acid with a significantly higher yield of 0.46 g/L.d and 0.14 g/L.d respectively in MES with g-C3N4-HKUST-1 biohybrid and 0.27 g/L.d and 0.06 g/L.d, respectively in MES with g-C3N4 biohybrid. The findings of this study suggest that g-C3N4-HKUST-1 is a highly efficient catalytic material for biocathodes in MESs to significantly enhance the CO2 conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) derived nanostructures receive immense research focus due to its high porosity, conductivity, and structural tailrolability features. In this work, porous Zeolitic Imidazole Framework‐67 (ZIF‐67) to synthesize cobalt phosphide/carbon composite (ZCoPC) that serves as a positive electrode is utilized. Furthermore, porous and conductive office paper derived carbon (OPC) are utilized as a negative electrode to make a hybrid system. The metalloid characteristics, high conductivity, and good porosity of ZCoPC material makes it a high‐performance battery like electrode. ZCoPC electrode achieves maximum specific capacity of 192.6 mAh g−1 at 1 A g−1 using 1 m potassium hydroxide (KOH) electrolyte. Furthermore, surface and diffusion charge participation investigation are also undergone for ZCoPC electrode that helps in determining the actual charge dynamics occurring in the electrode. In addition, a supercapattery device is assembled using ZCoPC as battery electrode and OPC as supercapacitor electrode. The as fabricated OPC//ZCoPC hybrid supercapattery device delivers extraordinary energy density of 31.6 Wh kg−1 with a power density of 700 W kg−1 and also a long cycle life of 92.3% even after 10,000 charge–discharge cycles. Hence, these outcomes demonstrate that the synergy of porous MOF derived metal phosphide and OPC electrodes are beneficial for supercapattery devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of emerging electric devices, the demand for advanced energy storage materials has intensified. These materials must encompass both surface and diffusion-driven charge storage mechanisms. While diffusion-driven reactions offer high capacitance by utilizing the bulk of the material, their effectiveness diminishes at higher discharge rates. Conversely, surface-controlled reactions provide rapid charge/discharge rates and high power density. To strike a balance between these attributes, we devised a tri-composite material, TiO2/Carbon/MoS2 (T10/MoS2). This innovative design features a highly porous carbon core for efficient diffusion and redox-active MoS2 nanosheets on the surface. Leveraging these characteristics, the T10/MoS2 composite exhibited impressive specific capacitance (436 F/g at 5 mV/s), with a significant contribution from the diffusion-controlled process (82%). Furthermore, our symmetrical device achieved a notable energy density of ~ 50 Wh/kg at a power density of 1.3 kW/kg. This concept holds promise for extending the approach to other Metal–Organic Framework (MOF) structures, enabling enhanced diffusion-controlled processes in energy storage applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work reports the synthesis of a composite of TiO2 nanosheets (NS) with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) for supercapacitor applications. The formation of composite has been achieved via a simple one-pot hydrothermal method. The rGO/TiO2 NS composite was used to fabricate a flexible electrode which, in presence of 1 M H2SO4 as an electrolyte, has shown a high specific capacitance of 233.67 F/g at a current density of 1 A/g within a potential window of 0-1 V. This enhanced supercapacitance of the rGO/TiO2 NS electrode is attributed to the synergistic effects from TiO2 and rGO NS which help in to attain a low equivalent series resistance and enhanced ion diffusion. Furthermore, the fabricated composite electrode has displayed a long-term cyclic stability, retaining a specific capacitance of 98.2% even after 2000 charge-discharge cycles. The proposed rGO/TiO2 NS electrode has delivered high values of energy (32.454 Wh/kg) and power (716.779 W/kg) densities. Interestingly, it is possible to retrieve a sufficiently high energy density of 24.576 Wh/kg which could generate a power density value of as high as 2142.84 W/kg. The above results reveal that the herein proposed thin film composite of rGO/TiO2 NS can offer extraordinary performance as a supercapacitor electrode compared to its nanotubes or nanoparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of porous and conductive composite materials in energy storage devices has received great attention in the recent years. Porous materials, such as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), possess features like large specific surface area, mesoporous structures, and multiple reaction sites that make them attractive for energy storage devices. Further, the integration of MOFs with suitable conducting agents is a promising strategy to introduce additional conductive pathways in them, which facilitates fast charge transfer. In the present work, we report synthesis and supercapacitor application of a ZIF-67/PEDOT heterostructure composite. The prepared ZIF-67/PEDOT composite, when analyzed for electrochemical performance in three-electrode systems, has delivered a specific capacitance of 106.8 F/g at a current density of 1 A/g. This value is significantly better than that attaintable with only pristine ZIF-67 electrode (34.75 F/g at 1 A/g). Extending the study, two ZIF-67/PEDOT electrodes have been used to assemble an all-solid-state symmetrical supercapacitor, which delivers excellent values of energy density (∼11 Wh/kg) and power density (200 W/kg). Hence, this work paves the way for the potential application of ZIF-67/PEDOT composite in the development of next-generation supercapacitors. Image 1 • Incorporation of PEDOT in ZIF-67 benefits high conductivity and large specific surface area. • ZIF-67/PEDOT has been explored as a supercapacitor electrode material. • The assembled 1.6 V device delivered high energy (11 Wh/kg) and power (200 W/kg) densities. • Supercapacitor device has a long cycle life (93% capacity retention even after 4000 charge-discharge cycles). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synthesis of a highly porous composite of ZIF-67 and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) using a simple stirring approach is reported. The composite has been investigated as an electrode to be assembled in a supercapacitor. In the presence of an optimized redox additive electrolyte (RAE), that is, 0.2 M K 3 [Fe(CN) 6 ] in 1 M Na 2 SO 4 , the ZIF-67/rGO composite electrode has combined the properties of improved conductivity, high specific surface area, and low resistance. The proposed composite electrode in the three-electrode system shows an ultrahigh specific capacitance of 1453 F g -1 at a current density of 4.5 A g -1 within a potential window of -0.1 to 0.5 V. Further, the ZIF-67/rGO composite electrode was used to fabricate a symmetrical supercapacitor whose operation in the presence of the RAE has delivered high values of specific capacitance (326 F g -1 at a current density of 3 A g -1 ) and energy density (25.5 W h kg -1 at a power density of 2.7 kW kg -1 ). The device could retain about 88% of its initial specific capacitance after 1000 repeated charge-discharge cycles. The practical usefulness of the device was also verified by combining two symmetrical supercapacitors in series and then lighting a white light-emitting diode (illumination for 3 min). This study, for the first time, reports the application of a ZIF-based composite (ZIF-67/rGO) in the presence of an RAE to design an efficient supercapacitor electrode. This proposed design is also scalable to a flexible symmetric device delivering high values of specific capacitance and energy density., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest.