Metal nitrides as efficient electrode material for supercapacitors: A review

Electrochemical supercapacitors as energy storage devices are trademarks in current electronic and industrial applications, as they are the source of top-notch power output. Supercapacitors supply fast power output, which is suitable to cover the energy demand of future electronic devices. Electrode materials of supercapacitors play an essential role in the electrochemical process of charge storage and determine the final device's cost and capacitive performance. Consequently, much attention has been paid to developing supercapacitor electrode materials to enhance energy storage performance and fulfill the high demand of current electronic devices. Electrode materials based on metal compounds such as metal oxides, metal nitrides, and metal carbides have been considered ideal for highly efficient electrochemical supercapacitors. Recently, many efforts have been devoted to metal nitride-based electrodes and their diverse compositions as they possess higher electrical conductivity, better corrosion resistance, electrochemical stability, and chemical reactivity. Electrode material, as well as the synthesis process of the electrode and assembling design of the final device, significantly impact the capacitive performance of the contrived electrochemical supercapacitor. This review gives a brief overview of supercapacitor configuration with methods for electrode synthesis and focuses mainly on the stable metal nitride components and their application as electrode materials for supercapacitors. Each element of the periodic table group has unique properties for electrochemical reactions, and stable metal nitrides can be synthesized with only a few elements of the periodic table. The electrochemical properties of metal nitride electrodes for supercapacitors depend upon the selected group of parent metals. In the conclusion of this review, we highlighted the recent trends and future aspects of metal nitride-based electrodes in energy storage devices.