Structural, magnetic, and electrochemical properties of Mo–W co-doped NiCo2O4 microspheres for dual hydrogen evolution reaction and energy storage applications
摘要
Nano-micro structures have significant potential for renewable energy, but optimization of surface qualities and long-term stability remains a difficulty. To address this, NiMoxWxCo2−2xO4 (Mo/W→NiCo2O4) microspheres were effectively prepared by a hydrothermal method to investigate the synergistic effects of multi-ion co-doping on the structural, magnetic and electrochemical characteristics. Vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) demonstrated a change from ferromagnetic to a predominant paramagnetic phase with increasing dopant concentration, which can be a powerful macroscopic probe of local lattice distortions and surface spin engineering. With the optimized electronic structure and defect states, the optimal x = 0.04 catalyst showed excellent HER activity in alkaline medium, requiring only an overpotential of 187.4 mV to achieve − 10 mA/cm2 along with a competitive Tafel slope of 95 mV/dec (following the Volmer-Heyrovsky mechanism) and strong durability for 24 h. Moreover, a symmetric solid-state supercapacitor (SSC) built with x = 0.04 electrode and a flexible quasi-solid polymer electrolyte attained an exceptional specific capacitance of 368.86 Fg− 1 at 10 mV.s− 1. Remarkably, the device retained 95.74% of the initial capacity after 30,000 continuous charge-discharge cycles, indicating its excellent structural and electrochemical integrity for integrated energy conversion and storage applications.