Abstract
In the exploration of advanced electrochemical supercapacitors, the present study focuses on designing and engineering mono-, dual-, and triple-metal nanostructures for developing efficient devices for energy storage. The presence of copper as a mono-metal formed a hydroxyl double-salt nanolayered structure. By combining copper with titanium, a paratacamite structure was formed as a dual-metal nanostructure. In this study, for the first time, this combination was used to stabilize the metastable paratacamite phase by substitution of titanium. Through inserting zinc into both titanium and copper, the paratacamite structure was merged with the Zn–Ti nanolayered structure. This finding was confirmed by several techniques such as X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis, differential thermal analysis, and scanning electron microscopy. The implementation of a tri-electrode configuration has shed light on the superior capacitive properties of nanoscale materials, including Cu-hydroxyl double salts (HDS), copper-titanium paratacamite (CT-1), and, notably, copper–zinc–titanium paratacamite combined with layered double hydroxide (CZT-3). Among these, the CZT-3 structure emerged as the standout, showcasing a significantly higher specific capacitance (378 F g−1 at 1.0 A g−1 current density) relative to its Cu-HDS and CT-1 counterparts. This remarkable capacity for energy storage can be attributed to the synergistic effects of the Cu–Zn dual-metal composition, which was engineered with Zn–Ti layered double hydroxide during the electrode creation process. The durability of this electrode is also noteworthy, maintaining an impressive stability level after numerous charging and discharging cycles. This advancement underscores the potential of CZT-3 as a pioneering approach for the fabrication of high-efficiency electrodes in supercapacitor technologies, opening avenues for the development of energy storage devices.