Ultraviolet‐Driven Improvements in the Electrochemical Performance of LaNiO 3 and NdNiO 3

ABSTRACT Photo‐assisted supercapacitors represent a promising strategy for efficient solar energy utilization by enabling simultaneous energy harvesting and storage. In this study, LaNiO 3 and NdNiO 3 perovskite materials were investigated as photoactive electrode candidates due to their favorable photoelectronic properties and the unique role of rare earth elements. Comprehensive material characterizations were performed using FESEM, STEM, EDX, XRD, FT‐IR, Raman, BET, and UV–Vis analyses. Electrochemical performance was evaluated under UV illumination (20 W, 365 nm) and dark conditions. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurements at 100 mV/s revealed a 9% increase in areal capacitance for LaNiO 3 and a more substantial 14% enhancement for NdNiO 3 under UV light. This performance improvement is attributed to enhanced electron–hole pair generation, particularly in NdNiO 3 , whose band gap lies closer to the UV region. These results underscore the potential of rare earth‐based perovskites in advancing photo‐assisted supercapacitor technology. The findings contribute to the development of next‐generation energy storage systems capable of directly integrating solar energy.