Investigation of vanadium oxide/activated carbon composites

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Vanadium compounds offer low cost and high theoretical capacitance for energy applications.
• Activated carbon (AC) is a well-established material for electrochemical double-layer capacitor (EDLC) behavior due to its conductivity and absorptive properties.
• Previous research explored vanadium-AC composites from various biomass sources.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize VO2 nanomorphology on coconut shell-derived activated carbon using a hydrothermal method.
• To investigate the electrochemical performance of the synthesized VO2-AC composite for energy storage.
• To evaluate the anti-microbial activity of the composite, considering vanadium's insulin-enhancing properties.

Main Methods:

• Hydrothermal synthesis of VO2 nanorods on activated carbon derived from coconut shells.
• Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) for morphological analysis.
• Electrochemical testing (specific capacity, current density, charge transfer resistance) and anti-microbial assays.

Main Results:

• SEM and TEM confirmed VO2 nanorods grown on and interacting with AC particles.
• A composite with higher activated charcoal content achieved a specific capacity of 545.56 F g⁻¹ at 0.6 A g⁻¹.
• The composite exhibited negligible charge transfer resistance, and the calculated b-value confirmed the charge storage mechanism.
• The synthesized composite demonstrated bactericidal activity by inhibiting respiration and damaging cellular components.

Conclusions:

• The hydrothermal method successfully produced VO2 nanorods integrated with coconut shell-derived AC.
• The VO2-AC composite shows excellent electrochemical performance for energy storage applications.
• The composite exhibits significant anti-microbial properties, suggesting potential for dual applications in energy and health.