Facile assembly of Ni-Co hydroxide nanoflakes on carbon nanotube network with highly electrochemical capacitive performance.

Abstract

Herein, we demonstrate the high-density assembly of Ni-Co hydroxide nanoflakes on conductive carbon nanotube (CNT) network through a simple and rapid chemical precipitation method, presenting a low-cost and high-performance scaffold for pseudosupercapacitor. It is found that the Ni-Co layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanoflakes prefer to proliferate around large-diameter CNTs (diameter>50 nm), with conductive CNT network well-maintained. Such hierarchical nanostructures show greatly improved specific surface areas compared with bare CNT network and are freestanding without other organic binder, which can be directly employed as a binder-free compact electrode assembly. By optimizing the chemical composition of as-precipitated LDH nanoflakes, the resultant Co0.4Ni0.6(OH)2 LDH/CNT composite nanostructures exhibit the largest specific electrochemical capacitance and the best rate performance, with their capacitance up to 1843 F/g under a low current density of 0.5 A/g and maintained at 1231 F/g when the current density is increased 20 times to 10 A/g. Importantly, such hierarchical nanostructures tend to prevent the electrode from severe structural damage and capacity loss during hundreds of charge/discharge under a high rate (2 A/g), ensuring the electrode with high-energy density (51 W h/kg) at power density of 3.3 kW/kg.