Catalytic and pseudocapacitive energy storage performance of metal (Co, Ni, Cu and Mn) ferrite nanostructures and nanocomposites

Metal ferrites are promising low-cost, highly-abundant metal oxides of low toxicity, which have been explored extensively during the past three decades for catalytic, energy storage, microwave screening and biomedical applications. In nanostructure forms, they have received tremendous attention during the past decade, especially for their applications in high-value organic compound synthesis and fabrication of energy storage devices. While the presence of multivalent cations is an attractive feature for catalytic and energy storage applications of metal ferrite nanostructures, the inherent magnetic nature is another attractive feature for their catalytic applications. With the current surge in the utilization of metal ferrite nanostructures in different technologies, it has become necessary to make a balanced assessment of the progress made in their design and synthesis over the past 20 years, and analyze the performance of these newly designed nanostructures in catalysis and energy storage devices. In this critical review, we highlight the progress made in the design and synthesis of some important metal ferrite nanostructures, their performance as catalysts in organic synthesis and as active electrode materials in supercapacitors (SCs). By analyzing the performances of these nanostructures in catalysis and pseudocapacitive energy storage devices, we highlight their prospects and perspectives.