Synthesis, characterization, and electrochemical evaluation of SnFe2O4@MWCNTS nanocomposite as a potential hydrogen storage material.

ABSTRACT

The widespread use of hydrogen as a vehicle fuel has prompted us to develop a new nanocomposite by immobilizing of tin ferrite nanoparticles (SnFe2O4) on the surface of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (abbreviated as MWCNTS) for the first time. The prepared nanocomposite powder (SnFe2O4@MWCNTS) was investigated utilizing various microscopy and spectroscopy methods, such as FT-IR, XRD, SEM, EDX, and BET techniques. Moreover, the electrochemical property of SnFe2O4@MWCNTS nanocomposite was investigated by cyclic voltammogram (CV) and charge-discharge chronopotentiometry (CHP) techniques. A variety of factors on the hydrogen storage capacity, such as current density, surface area of the copper foam, and the influence of repeated hydrogen adsorption-desorption cycles were assessed. The electrochemical results indicated that the SnFe2O4@MWCNTS has high capability and excellent reversibility compared to SnFe2O4 nanoparticles (NPs) for hydrogen storage. The highest hydrogen discharge capability of SnFe2O4@MWCNTs was achieved ∼ 365 mAh/g during the 1st cycle, and the storage capacity enhanced to ∼ 2350 mAh/g at the end of 20 cycles using a current of 2 mA. Consequently, the SnFe2O4@MWCNTS illustrated great capacity as a prospective active material for hydrogen storage systems.