UiO-66-NH₂/MWCNT Binary Hybrid Composites for High Performance Aqueous Symmetric Supercapacitor Applications

Metal–organic framework (MOF)-based composites integrated with carbon nanomaterials have garnered significant interest for supercapacitor electrode applications due to their tunable porosity and enhanced conductivity. In this study, a UiO-66-NH₂/MWCNT composite was prepared via a facile one-step solvothermal method and investigated as a supercapacitor electrode material for the first time. Comprehensive structural and morphological characterizations, including XRD, FT-IR, Raman, XPS, SEM, and TEM, confirmed the successful formation and uniform growth of MOF nanoparticles on the backbone of MWCNTs. The composite exhibited a large specific surface area of 456.48 m² g⁻¹, contributing to its excellent electrochemical performance. In a three-electrode setup using 2 M KOH electrolyte, the hybrid produced a specific capacitance of 353.3 F g⁻¹ at a specific current of 1 A g⁻¹. Furthermore, when configured as an aqueous symmetric supercapacitor device, the electrode material achieved a specific capacitance of 163.3 F g⁻¹, a specific energy of 32.7 Wh kg⁻¹ at a specific power of 1.2 kW kg⁻¹, and demonstrated remarkable cycling stability with 82.5% capacitance retention over 3,000 cycles. These results affirm the potential of the UiO-66-NH₂/MWCNT composite as a promising electrode material for advanced energy storage devices.