Green Synthesis of Nd₂O₃ /Cr2O3 Binary Oxide Nanocomposite Using Vitex negundo Leaf Extract and Investigation of its Electrochemical Potential

Abstract

Chemical synthesis of metal oxide nanocomposites uses toxic chemicals and high energy, which harms the environment and limits their use for clean energy storage. There is a need for a low-cost, eco-friendly method to produce efficient electrode materials for supercapacitors. Current study has employed single-step, economical, and begin mean to synthesize metal oxide nanoparticles via leaves extract of Vitex negundo plant. Synthesized binary oxides were subjected to various characterization tools to evaluate their potential for storage devices. Optical analysis revealed that the synthesized nanomaterial possessed narrow bandgap 3eV than the pristine Nd₂O₃ 5eV therefore inherits strong applicability in the electronic industry.  FE-SEM showed porous, irregularly shaped particles with slight agglomeration, having sizes within the nano range. The average crystallite size was computed as 3.86 nm. The electrochemical studies were carried out using a three-electrode system immersed in 0.2 M KOH. The electrode slurry was prepared by dispersing the active material in ethanol with Nafion binder (5 mg/15 mL) and drop-cast via a micropipette onto FTO. Cyclic voltammetry at 100 mV/s in the 0- 1.5 V window showed pseudocapacitive behavior. The value of specific capacitance was calculated as 25 F g ¹. The synthesized material possessed stability up to 600 sec. Studies demonstrate potential application of phytofunctionalized Nd₂O₃/Cr₂O₃ nanocomposite as electrode material for supercapacitors.