High electrochemical performance of metal azolate framework-derived ZnO/Co3O4 for supercapacitors

Metal azolate frameworks MAF-6 (Zn, Zn-Co, and Co) were fabricated with a facile solution mixture method. Flower-like ZnO/Co3O4 was synthesized with MAF-6 as the template in a solvothermal condition of 90 degrees C for 2 hours. The produced materials were characterized by XRD, EDS, SEM, and XPS. MAF-6 and the derived metal oxides acted as the electrode materials of supercapacitors. This study reported that ZnO/Co3O4 exhibited the maximal specific capacitance of 830.20 F/g at 1A/g, resulting from the synergy of Zn and Co and the enhanced conductivity. Furthermore, ZnO/Co3O4 electrode exhibited prominent rate capacitance, high electrochemical reversibility, and long life (89% capacitance was kept after 1000 cycles at 1 A/g). Given the results of this study, the prepared ZnO/Co3O4 electrode can be demonstrated as a potential candidate in the field of renewable energy storage.