Tuning the efficiency of CoFe2O4@rGO composite by encapsulating Ag nanoparticles for the photocatalytic degradation of methyl violet dye and energy storage systems

In the present work, a silver nanoparticle-encapsulated CoFe2O4@reduced graphene oxide composite (Ag NPs/CoFe2O4@rGO) was prepared via a simple chemical co-precipitation technique. The formation of the materials was confirmed by various physico-chemical tools, and the composite was tested for photocatalytic and energy storage applications. Ag NPs/CoFe2O4@rGO composite demonstrated remarkable plasmonic photocatalytic activity in the degradation (96%) of aqueous solution of methyl violet dye under visible light irradiation. Further, the electrochemical properties of the as-fabricated Ag NPs/CoFe2O4@rGO composite Ni foil electrode were elucidated by cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD) tests and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in 1 M aqueous KOH electrolyte. Noticeably, Ag NPs/CoFe2O4@rGO composite electrode exhibited a specific capacitance of 970 F g(-1) at a scan rate of 5 mV s(-1) with excellent cycling stability (93% retention after 3000 cycles at 2 A g(-1)). The favorable performance demonstrated the synergistic effect of CoFe2O4 and Ag NPs with improved surface area, rendered through rGO in the composite, thus indicating that the material is promising and efficient for photocatalysis and energy storage devices.