Studies on the Electrochemical Performance of Zinc Oxide (ZnO) Thin Film on Different Substrates
Abstract
Zinc oxide exhibits distinctive qualities as an electrode material in supercapacitor applications. In this study, zinc oxide was evaluated as an active material atop two distinct substrates: stainless steel and stainless steel mesh. The thin films of zinc oxide were produced via an economical chemical bath deposition technique. These films underwent characterization employing a range of methods, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). X-ray diffraction analysis reveals a polycrystalline nature, showcasing a hexagonal wurtzite structure. Scanning electron microscopy exposed a flower-like morphology of the films. Electrochemical characterizations cyclic voltammetry (CV) and galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD) were carried out with the help of a three-electrode setup using a 2M KOH electrolyte. The specific capacitance for the stainless steel mesh substrate registered as 132.97 Fg-1 at a scan rate of 10 mVs-1, whereas the stainless steel substrate recorded a capacitance of 31.94 Fg-1 at the identical scan rate. The investigation concluded that ZnO deposited on stainless steel mesh demonstrated superior capacitance relative to the stainless steel substrate.