Enhanced electrochemical performance of lanthanum ferrite decorated reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite electrodes prepared by in situ microwave irradiation for energy storage applications

Abstract

Summary Lanthanum ferrite decorated reduced graphene oxide (LaFeO3/rGO) nanocomposite is prepared by in‐situ microwave irradiation method. The X‐ray diffraction study reveals the single phase orthorhombic structure of LaFeO 3 nanoparticles and LaFeO 3 /rGO nanocomposites. The FTIR study reveals various vibrational modes and the characteristic D and G bands of the Raman spectrum confirms the formation of reduced graphene oxide. The SEM and HR‐TEM images demonstrate that spherical LaFeO 3 particles are decorated on 2D graphene sheets. From the HR‐TEM study, the average particle size of LaFeO 3 is estimated to be 23 nm. The synergistic effect of 3D LaFeO 3 nanoparticles and 2D graphene layers offers more active sites to achieve the enhanced electrochemical performance. The specific capacitance of LaFeO 3 /rGO composites is measured to be 170 Fg −1 at 10 mV s −1 . The composite electrode has admirable cyclic stability, better Columbic efficiency and improved capacitance retention with great potential for supercapacitor applications.