Chemical synthesis and supercapacitive properties of lanthanum telluride thin film

Lanthanum telluride (La₂Te₃) thin films are synthesized via a successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method. The crystal structure, surface morphology and surface wettability properties are investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and contact angle goniometer techniques, respectively. The La₂Te₃ material exhibits a specific surface area of 51m²g^-1 determined by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method. La₂Te₃ thin film electrode has a hydrophilic surface which consists of interconnected pine leaf-like flaky arrays that affect the performance of the supercapacitor. The supercapacitive performance of La₂Te₃ film electrode is evaluated in 1M LiClO₄/PC electrolyte using cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge-discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy techniques. La₂Te₃ film electrode exhibits a specific capacitance of 194Fg^-1 at a scan rate of 5mVs^-1 and stored energy density of 60Whkg^-1 with delivering power density of 7.22kWkg^-1. La₂Te₃ film electrode showed capacitive retention of 82% over 1000cycles at a scan rate of 100mVs^-1. Further, flexible La₂Te₃|LiClO₄-PVA|La₂Te₃ supercapacitor cell is fabricated.