Exploring the electrochemical potential of MoLa₂O₄/rGO/Co-MOF nanocomposites in energy storage and monosodium glutamate detection

Monosodium glutamate (MSG), a sodium salt that comes from a non-essential amino acid, is generally employed as a flavor accompaniment in numerous diet recipes. Metal oxides containing oxygen vacancies present a potential opportunity for utilization as charge storage materials in supercapattery applications. This work illustrates the fabrication of the MoLa₂O₄@Co-MOF@rGO nanocomposite via a combination of hydrothermal and modified Hummer methods. The structure of the fabricated MoLa₂O₄@Co-MOF@rGO nanocomposite was assessed by utilizing scanning electron microscopy (SEM), whereas the structural analysis was conducted via X-ray diffraction (XRD). The superior electrochemical parameters of the MoLa₂O₄@Co-MOF@rGO nanocomposite over pure MoLa₂O₄ and MoLa₂O₄@Co-MOF were ascribed to the combined effect of MoLa₂O₄, Co-MOF, and rGO. The specific capacitance (Cs) of 310.1 Fg⁻¹ was achieved for MoLa₂O₄ and 626.8 Fg⁻¹ for MoLa₂O₄@Co-MOF. Among all samples, the MoLa₂O₄@Co-MOF@rGO electrode demonstrates an extraordinary Cs of 1716 Fg⁻¹ at 3 mVs⁻¹. The energy storage mechanism is explained using the using Randles–Ševčík and Dunn's models. The MoLa₂O₄@Co-MOF@rGO//activated carbon (AC) asymmetric supercapacitor configuration demonstrates the Cs of 1470 Fg⁻¹ at 3 mVs⁻¹ along with a particular energy of 58 Whkg⁻¹ and a power density (P_d) of 2500 Wkg⁻¹. A MoLa₂O₄@Co-MOF@rGO nanocomposite-based amperometric immunosensor was designed to detect monosodium glutamate (MSG). A linear relationship was consistently detected between MSG concentration and the associated current change across the complete detection range of 0.05–200 μM. The multifunctional MoLa₂O₄@Co-MOF@rGO ternary nanocomposite electrode material opens up new prospects for designing hybrid devices in energy harvesting and food-related applications.