Role of carbonaceous matrix and nobel metal doping to boost the electrochemical aptitude of nanostructured MoO3

Abstract Elevated specific capacitance (Csp), higher surface area, faster charge transport, exceptional chemical stability, lower diffusion resistance, and a porous structure are the key features of the ideal electrode material. Undoubtedly, transition metal oxides (TMOs) have a better Csp, but their limited surface, bulky structure, and lower conductivity are the main obstacles to limiting their applications as an electrode material. So we adopted several strategies to fabricate the MoO3 electrode, an ideal electrode because of its integrated electrochemical characteristics. Firstly, the MoO3 sample was manufactured at the nanoscale to tune the specific surface area, reduce the bulk contribution, and minimize the diffusion resistance. Secondly, a doping strategy has been used to get an Ag-doped MoO3 sample with enhanced intrinsic conductivity. The carbonaceous nanomaterials, especially reduced graphene oxide (rGO), due to their exceptional electrical conductivity, good chemical stability, higher surface area, and distinctive structure, have an excessive aptitude to boost the electrochemical aptitude of transition metal oxides. Therefore, thirdly, we used a composite formation strategy to fabricate a rGO/Ag/MoO3 nanocomposite with improved extrinsic conductivity and faster charge transfer characteristics. Finally, we decorated the rGO/Ag/MoO3 sample on the current collector via the Nafion binder because of its superior charge transfer characteristics. The nanocomposite-based electrode exhibited excellent Csp (422.16 F/g @ 1 Ag), exceptional rate performance (>33% at 7 fold higher current density) and superior cyclic stability (88.21% after 5000 cycles). These remarkable and integrated electrochemical characteristics of the nanocomposite are the outcome of the synergistic belongings of all adopted strategies. The electrical and electrochemical results suggest that using several strategies to make the perfect electrode is a productive approach.