Cationic and Non-Ionic Surfactant–Assisted Morphological Engineering of CoMoO4 for High-Performance Asymmetric Supercapacitors

TL;DR

This study shows how using specific surfactants can improve the structure of cobalt molybdate, leading to better performance in supercapacitors.

Contribution

The novel use of cationic and non-ionic surfactants to engineer CoMoO4 morphology for enhanced supercapacitor performance.

Findings

CoMo-CTAB/PEG electrode achieved 10.321 F cm−2 areal capacitance at 10 mA cm−2.

The electrode retained 63.64% capacitance at 50 mA cm−2 and 83% after 12,000 cycles.

An asymmetric pouch-type device showed robust cycling stability with the optimized electrode.

Abstract

Precise morphology engineering is essential for enhancing the charge-storage capabilities of cobalt molybdate (CoMoO4). In this study, cobalt molybdate (CoMoO4, abbreviated as CoMo), cobalt molybdate–cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CoMo-CTAB), and cobalt molybdate–cetyltrimethylammonium bromide/polyethylene glycol (CoMo-CTAB/PEG) electrodes were synthesized through a cationic–nonionic surfactant-assisted hydrothermal route. he introduction of CTAB promoted the formation of well-defined nanoflake structures, whereas the synergistic CTAB/PEG system produced a highly porous and interconnected nanosheet architecture, enabling enhanced electrolyte diffusion and redox accessibility. As a result, the CoMo-CTAB/PEG electrode delivered a high areal capacitance of 10.321 F cm−2 at 10 mA cm−2, markedly outperforming CoMo-CTAB and pristine CoMo electrodes. It also exhibited good rate capability, maintaining 63.64% of its capacitance at 50 mA cm−2. Long-term cycling tests revealed excellent durability, with over 83% capacitance retention after 12,000 cycles and high coulombic efficiency, indicating highly reversible Faradaic behavior. Moreover, an asymmetric pouch-type supercapacitor device (APSD) assembled using the optimized electrode demonstrated robust cycling stability. These findings underscore surfactant-directed morphology modulation as an effective and scalable strategy for developing high-performance CoMoO4-based supercapacitor electrodes.

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