Revolutionizing energy storage and electro-catalysis: unleashing electrode power with novel BaS₃:La₂S₃:Ho₂S₃ synthesized from single-source precursors for enhanced electrochemical functionality

Electrochemical energy storage has utility in wide range of systems, therefore scientific community and energy stakeholders have been significantly focusing especially on it. By utilizing the novel BaS₃:La₂S₃:Ho₂S₃ semiconductor, an alkaline earth-lanthanide composite chalcogenide (AE-LCC), which is developed by chelating with the diethyldithiocarbamate ligand, the current work, for the first time, seeks to enhance the performance of charge retaining devices in addition to electro-catalysis. This photo-active material exhibits exceptional optical properties with a band gap of 3.95 eV and heterogeneous crystallographic modes with a median crystallite size of 17.78 nm, due to its sustainable manufacturing process. Furthermore, infrared spectroscopy was used to identify metallic sulfide connections, which vary between 545 and 887 cm⁻¹. Differently shaped particles that fused into a rod-like structure showed a higher volume-surface area ratio at multiple locations. The electrochemical performance of the BaS₃:La₂S₃:Ho₂S₃ AE-LCC was assessed using a conventional three-electrode configuration with an initial electrolyte of 1 M KOH. BaS₃:La₂S₃:Ho₂S₃ AE-LCC exhibits excellent specific capacitance of as high as 779 F g⁻¹ and a power density of 10,145.28 W kg⁻¹, making it an excellent electrode material for power storage applications. This remarkable electrochemical performance was further substantiated by comparable series resistance (R_s) = 1.25 Ω. The electrode generated an OER overpotential and a matching Tafel slope of 417 mV and 113 mV/dec by electro-catalysis. Conversely, the Tafel slope of HER activity was 310 mV/dec, and its overpotential was 233 mV.