Harnessing sustainable energy: Synthesizing a trinary chalcogenide semiconductor BaS:Sb2S3:CuS for enhanced performance in supercapacitor devices and electro-catalysis

Abstract

The BaS:Sb₂S₃:CuS trinary chalcogenide is synthesized with a diethyldithiocarbamate ligand as a chelating substance in order to increase the effectiveness of charge storage devices and operate as an energy generation catalyst. The sustainably produced BaS:Sb₂S₃:CuS semiconductor showed good photo-activity because of its light absorption, with an energy band gap of 2.57 eV. The BaS:Sb₂S₃:CuS electrochemical performance was evaluated using a traditional three-electrode setup. With a specific power density of 8161 W kg⁻¹ and a specific capacitance of up to 958.91 F g⁻¹, BaS:Sb₂S₃:CuS has shown to be a great electrode material for energy storage applications. The same series resistance (R_s) of 2.02 Ω further supported this remarkable electrochemical performance. Through electro-catalysis, the electrode produced an OER overpotential and a corresponding Tafel slope of 419 mV and 186 mV/dec. On the other hand, the Tafel slope and overpotential for HER activity were 321 mV/dec and 154 mV, respectively.