Scalable Synthesis of ZrO₂ Nanoparticles through Imidazolic Precursor and Evaluation of its Energy Storage Performance

Herein, we reported the facile synthesis of zirconium oxide (ZrO₂) nanoparticles from an imidazole based organic precursor followed by calcination of 750 °C in the thermostat. The bonding properties of the as-synthesized nanoparticles were examined by FTIR and Raman spectroscopy. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) analysed the phase formation of nanoparticles, and spherical-shaped nanoparticles were examined by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM) and Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) spectroscopy. The high surface area of 65 m² g⁻¹ was analysed by the N₂ adsorption-desorption isotherm using a Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface analyser. The electrochemical performance, like cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanometric charging-discharging (GCD) and impedance spectroscopy (EIS), were analysed. The electrochemical performances were carried out by using aqueous electrolytes of 1 M KOH. The specific capacitance was observed 246.98 F g⁻¹. The asymmetric supercapacitor device (ASC) is fabricated using synthesized ZrO₂ nanoparticles/activated charcoal (AC). The device exhibits utmost specific capacitance of 29.15 F g⁻¹, and energy density of 13 Wh kg⁻¹ with a power of 3201 W kg⁻¹, respectively. The device maintains excellent coulombic efficiency, and the value is more than 98 % after the 3000 charge-discharge cycles. The enhanced electrochemical properties of zirconium oxide are due to the high surface area and porous nature.