Novel structure of bacteria doped ZnO particles: Facile and green synthesis route to prepare hybrid material for supercapacitor electrodes

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures/bacteria (Escherichia coli, E. coli) composite material is successfully prepared via carbonization process. Morphological and electrochemical properties of nanostructure were studied as function of concentration of bacteria solution. Morphological properties of the composite material were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET). The new approach of high-performance electrodes based on carbonization prepared from precursor and reductant of ZnO and bacteria resources. The ZnO nanostructures were reacted with the bacteria to introduce carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) for better electrochemical performance and an increased surface area. The bacteria doped ZnO electrode exhibited significantly enhanced specific capacitance (41 F g−1) at a discharge current density of 0.5 A g−1, and cycling stability of 55% retention after 5000 cycles. Therefore, the bacteria as electrical dopant gave higher specific capacitance and cycle stability to the other metal oxide which could be a potential candidate in commercial applications of supercapacitors.