Exploring the influence of multiple metal ions in electrochemistry of nanostructured Cu6MoSnS8/Cu2S and Fe rust-derived Fe2O3/Fe3O4 electrodes for asymmetric supercapacitors and oxygen evolution reaction.

Fabricating nanostructured electrode materials using transition metals with better structure, high performance, extreme redox properties, high surface area, abundance, low cost, and eco-friendly features is crucial for commercialization. From this perspective, a novel quaternary transition metal Cu6MoSnS8/Cu2S nanoparticles (CuMoSnS/CuS NPs)-based material was synthesized as a negative electrode using a two-step hydrothermal method. The redox-based CuMoSnS/CuS NPs negative electrode delivered a remarkable specific capacity of 310 mAh g-1 and excellent cycling stability. Moreover, the eco-friendly iron (Fe) rust-derived Fe2O3/Fe3O4 NPs-based positive electrode showed an excellent specific capacity of 252 mAh g-1. The as-prepared Fe2O3/Fe3O4 and CuMoSnS/CuS NPs electrodes exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity towards the oxygen evolution reaction and stability in an alkaline potassium hydroxide electrolyte. Impressively, the fabricated Fe2O3/Fe3O4 NPs//CuMoSnS/CuS NPs-based asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) device delivered the highest specific capacity of 127 mAh g-1 and superior energy and power densities of 108 Wh kg-1 and 680 W kg-1 at 2 mA cm-2, respectively. Additionally, the ASC device delivered ultra-long stability results, with a retention of 145% over 100000 charge-discharge cycles. Moreover, ASC devices were explored by harvesting renewable solar energy using a solar panel and powering electronic devices for real-time applications.