Hydrothermal approached 1-D molybdenum oxide nanostructures for high-performance supercapacitor application

Well-defined 1D molybdenum oxide nanostructures were synthesized using the hydrothermal method with sodium dodecyl sulfate as a capping agent with water as a solvent for the supercapacitor application at very low electrolyte concentration. The structural, morphological and optical properties of the as-prepared nanoparticles were characterized using X-ray diffraction, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope, and UV–visible spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction and FESEM studies revealed the formation of ‘1D Molybdenum Oxide nanorods with an average crystallite size of 31 nm. UV–visible spectroscopic analysis showed that the optical bandgap of molybdenum oxide nanorods to be 3.01 eV. The electrochemical performance of as synthesized nanorods was performed by using cyclic voltammetry, galavanostatic charge–discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The maximum specific capacitance obtained was 411 F g⁻¹ in 0.1M NaOH electrolyte solution with excellent rate capability even at higher scan rates. Cyclic retention of 82.4% was observed even after 1000 cycles making it suitable electrode material for high-performance supercapacitor applications.