Facile one-pot synthesis of porous NiCoP@reduced graphene oxide composite as active electrode material for high energy density asymmetric supercapacitor

Abstract

The superior properties of nanomaterials with a special structure can provide prospects for highly efficient supercapacitors for energy storage applications. Herein, a facile one step hydrothermal process is developed for the synthesis of NiCoP@reduced graphene oxide (NiCoP@RGO) composite as electrode for electrochemical supercapacitors. Furthermore, we report the improvements in the materials technology, demonstrating the NiCoP@RGO nanocomposite electrode with an excellent specific capacitance of 1541–1301 Fg−1 at 1–20 Ag−1, high capacitance retention of 92%, and long cycle life of 5000 cycles. The practical application is showcased in an asymmetric supercapacitor with a high active-material loading. Besides, an asymmetric supercapacitor assembled using the NiCoP@RGO as cathode active material and the activated carbon (AC) as anode active material exhibited a high capacitance of 146 Fg−1 at 1 A g−1 and a high energy density of 49.8 Whkg−1 at a power density of 1245.8 Wkg−1 at an operating voltage of 0–1.6 V, suggesting its promising application as a high-performance electrical energy storage device.