Bimetallic nickel–cobalt oxide nanoparticle/ electrospun carbon nanofiber composites: Preparation and application for supercapacitor electrode

Abstract

Designing electrode materials by hybridizing components can enhance the final efficiency of energy storage systems. Herein, we study application of different precursors on the physicochemical and electrochemical behavior of the resulting hybrid electrode materials. Electrodes were prepared by electrospinning followed by heat treatment. There was an optimum ratio nickel/cobalt-based precursors yielding higher uniformity and even distribution of metallic nanoparticles on the surface of electrospun carbon nanofibers (ECNFs). Furthermore, the electrochemical characterizations confirmed the synergistic effect of two transition metal oxides components (bimetallic oxide) with an electrically conductive substrate in the form of hybrid electrode material. Consequently, the optimized hybrid electrode material, i.e., Ni0.25Co0.25Oxide/ECNF, exhibited a specific capacitance of 697.5 F/g with 94% capacitance retention even after 2000 cycles at 10 A/g current density. According to quantitative results, the Ni0.25Co0.25Oxide/ECNFs hybrid electrode material showed superior performance in the negative sweep rates for energy storage applications.