Synthesis of perovskite bismuth ferrite embedded nitrogen-doped Carbon (BiFeO3-NC) nanocomposite for energy storage application

Abstract Perovskites are very promising materials for addressing the energy crisis issues worldwide. We have synthesized the perovskite bismuth ferrite embedded nitrogen-doped carbon (BiFeO3-NC) nanocomposites using the polymeric precursor method followed by firing at 800°C/6h for energy storage application. An average particle size of the BiFeO3 nanoparticles embedded NC is found to be ∼15 nm by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis reveals that Fe element has a valence state of Fe3+ and Bi element has a valence state of Bi3+. The presence of N and C is also confirmed by the XPS. BET study of the BiFeO3-NC nanocomposites reveals high specific surface area of ∼339 m2/g. The BiFeO3-NC nanocomposites have been used as electrode materials for supercapacitors. Galvanic charge-discharge (GCD), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements have been carried out using 1.0 M Na2SO4 electrolyte to investigate their energy storage application. The BiFeO3-NC nanocomposites show excellent specific capacitance value of ∼811 F/g at 50 mV/s with excellent charge discharge capacity. Our studies show efficient, scalable and low cost synthesis of nanocomposites from polymeric precursors for enhanced electrochemical performances to energy storage applications.