Authors: Szatkowski T., Wysokowski M., Lota G., Pęziak D., Bazhenov V.V., Nowaczyk G., Walter J., Molodtsov S.L., Stocker H., Himcinschi C., Petrenko L., Stelling A.L., Jurga S., Jesionowski T. Ehrlich H. |
Abstract:
The marine sponge Hippospongia communis (Demospongiae: Porifera) is a representative of bath sponges, which possess characteristic mineral-free fibrous skeletons made of a structural protein - spongin. This fibrous skeleton is mechanically robust, resistant to acidic treatment, and thermally stable up to 160 degrees C. Due to these properties, we decided to use this biological material for the first time for the hydrothermal synthesis of hematite (alpha-Fe2O3) via catalyzed hydrolysis of FeCl3 to obtain a hematite-spongin composite. The material obtained was studied with Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HR-TEM), X-ray Photoemission Spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman spectroscopy. The alpha-Fe2O3-spongin-based composite was tested for its potential application as an anode material in a capacitor. The results indicate that components constructed using this novel composite material have a positive effect on the capacitance of energy storing devices.
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