Polyoxometalate-Stabilized Silver Nanoparticles and Hybrid Electrode Assembly Using Activated Carbon

The intersection between the field of hybrid materials and that of electrochemistry is a quickly expanding area. Hybrid combinations usually consist of two constituents, but new routes toward more complex and versatile electroactive hybrid designs are quickly emerging. The objective of the present work is to explore novel triple hybrid material integrating polyoxometalates (POMs), silver nanoparticles (Ag(0) NPs), and activated carbon (AC) and to demonstrate its use as a hybrid electrode in a symmetric supercapacitor. The tri-component nanohybrid (AC/POM-Ag(0) NPs) was fabricated through the combination of AC with pre-synthesized ∼27 nm POM-protected Ag(0) NPs (POM-Ag(0) NPs). The POM-Ag(0) NPs were prepared using a green electrochemical method and characterized via UV-vis and IR spectroscopy, electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and cyclic voltammetry (CV). Afterward, the AC/POM-Ag(0) NPs ternary nanocomposite material was constructed and characterized. The electrochemical behavior of AC/POM-Ag(0) NPs’ modified electrodes reveal that the nanomaterial is electroactive and exhibits a moderately higher specific capacitance (81 F/g after 20 cycles) than bare AC electrodes (75 F/g) in a symmetrical supercapacitor configuration in the voltage range 0 to 0.75 V and 20 mV/s, demonstrating the potential use of this type of tri-component nanohybrid for electrochemical applications.