Spinel Ferrite-Based Materials for Electrochemical Applications: Synthesis, Applications, and Future Perspectives

Abstract

Spinel ferrites have shown wide range of applications in various fields, including supercapacitors, Li-ion batteries, water splitting, chemical sensors, catalytic activity, high-frequency magnetic devices, and biomedical, hyperthermia, drug delivery applications., etc. This review focuses on the latest progress and trends on design of spinel ferrites (MFe2O4; M = Divalent transition metal ion) based materials for electrochemical applications. Spinel ferrites exhibit good chemical stability, high surface area and excellent electrochemical behaviour with their multiple oxidation states, making them suitable for the detection of a wide range of gaseous analytes including volatile organic compounds, heavy metal ions, biomolecules, and environmental pollutants. It also makes spinel ferrites a great choice for efficient energy storage and utility in supercapacitors. The electrochemical performance of spinel ferrite-based electrode materials can be effectively tuned via morphology control, incorporation of carbon-based materials, compositional substitution, doping and forming composition systems, especially in nanostructured form. This review will serve as a comprehensive resource for researchers interested in the synthesis and various enhancement techniques for electrode material composition of electrochemical device applications specifically, gas sensors and supercapacitors, which are two of the highest emerging functional applications for the new sustainability directed world, utilizing these advanced materials.