Construction of cobaltous oxide/nickel–iron oxide electrodes with great cycle stability and high energy density for advanced asymmetry supercapacitor

Abstract

Cobaltous oxide/nickel–iron oxide (Co3O4/NiFe2O4) hybrids were fabricated via a template-free hydrothermal route with cyclodextrin as a reactor and a further two-step annealing treatment in an air atmosphere. The hybrid is composed of many small nanoparticles with a particle size distribution range from 20 to 50 nm. The hybrid combined the advantages of Co3O4 and NiFe2O4 nanoparticles, presenting enhanced electrochemical properties than its single component. The Co3O4/NiFe2O4 (0.6:1) hybrid electrode exhibited the highest specific capacitance and great electrochemical cycle stability (over 90.7% of total capacitance at 2 A g−1 after 1000 cycles and still kept 84.6% at 5 A g−1 after 5000 cycles). This may be ascribed to the common contribution of each component, which not only provided good electronic conductivity for efficient charge transfer but also a stable structure for better ions diffusion. A Co3O4/NiFe2O4//AC asymmetry supercapacitor was assembled and manifested the highest energy density of 76.0 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 859.7 W kg−1 and still kept 37.3 Wh kg−1 at the highest power density of 6.0 kW kg−1. This work indicated that the Co3O4/NiFe2O4 hybrid should be a potential active material for the electrochemical application.