Investigation of structural and electrochemical properties of Triphala-ZnO nanocomposite synthesized via green methodology for supercapacitor applications

In the rapidly evolving world, the demand for energy storage solutions is escalating due to factors such as population growth, industrialization, and technological advancements. This research explores the potential of Triphala-ZnO nanocomposite powder as a novel material for energy storage applications. Triphala, a traditional Ayurvedic herbal formulation, is combined with zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles to form a nanocomposite using a simple and cost-effective co-precipitation method. The structural, morphological, and compositional properties of the synthesized Triphala-ZnO nanocomposite were confirmed through characterization techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The electrochemical studies, including cyclic voltammetry (CV) and galvanostatic charge–discharge (GCD) analysis, revealed the performance of synthesized material. In CV analysis, carried out with a 3 M KOH electrolyte, showed a specific capacitance of 511.7 F g⁻1 at 10 mV s⁻1 and a specific energy density of 279.90 Wh kg. In GCD analysis, the nanocomposite exhibited a specific capacitance of 8.11 F g⁻1 at a current density of 1 A g⁻1. These variations suggest the material exhibits pseudocapacitive characteristics. Moreover, the nanocomposite demonstrated an ionic conductivity of 1.6 × 10⁻3 S/cm and a low internal resistance of 5.9 Ω. The significant enhancement in specific capacitance and energy density compared to pure Triphala underscores the superior potential of the Triphala-ZnO nanocomposite for next-generation energy storage systems.