Binder-free CuS/ZnS/sodium alginate/rGO nanocomposite hydrogel electrodes for enhanced performance supercapacitors

CuS/ZnS/sodium alginate/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites (CZSrG) were prepared by physical crosslinking followed by one-step reduction and were justified as green binder-free hydrogel high-capacitance electrodes. The physical crosslinking was realized simply through the hydrogen-bond interaction between sodium alginate (SA) and graphene oxide (GO), avoiding the usage of traditional Ca²⁺ crosslinking agent. The hydrogel structure made of CZSrG possessed the most beneficial effect of avoiding large volume change and increasing cycle stability for supercapacitors. When used as electrode, the specific capacitance of CZSrG was 992 F·g^-1 (10 mV·s^-1) in a three-electrode system. Furthermore, the fabricated supercapacitors had a specific capacitance of 252.1 F·g^-1 (5 mV·s^-1), and a power density of 1800 Wh·kg^-1 at the energy density of 2.05 Wh·kg^-1. Thus, the CZSrG has a favorable electrochemical performance and wide application prospects in supercapacitors.