A steel mesh coated cobalt tungstate microflowers as efficient binder-free electrodes for supercapacitors and oxygen evolution reactions

This research successfully synthesized cobalt tungstate (CoWO₄) microflowers on flexible steel mesh (CoW-SM) using the successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) technique for water splitting and energy storage applications. The physicochemical characterization revealed an amorphous structure with a non-uniform, microflower-like (MFs) morphology, which siginifies the better electrochemical performance. Further, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis confirmed the formation of high-purity CoWO₄ Fs. Additionally, the specific surface area (SSA) was determined using N₂ adsorption/desorption, with the optimized sample exhibiting an SSA of 35.4 m²/g and an average pore diameter of 3.24 nm. In contrast to physiochemical analysis, the electrochemical and electrocatalytic investigations were conducted using a three-electrode system. As a result, the (CoWO₄) CoW–C electrode demonstrated exceptional performance, achieving a maximum capacitance (Cs) of 697 F/g and a capacity of 87 mAh/g at a current density of 5 mA/cm². Furthermore, the CoW–C electrode exhibited superior electrocatalytic properties in 1 M KOH, with a low Tafel slope (94 mV/dec), a small overpotential (220 mV), and a high electrochemically active surface area (ECSA) of 78 cm², alongside excellent durability over 5 hours. Therefore, these findings highlight the significant potential of the synthesized CoWO₄ MFs for high-performance supercapacitors and water-splitting applications.