Ionic-storage capacitance enhanced by a self-assembled CoO-Nafion nanocoating on single-walled carbon nanotubes

Abstract

We introduce a novel approach for enhancing ion-storage capabilities through the self-assembled formation of ternary nanowires, consisting of a CoO-and-Nafion nanocomposite encasing metallic single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). These nanowires highlight the indispensable role of the conductor-semimetallic SWNT-CoO heterojunction in expediting the redox reaction kinetics of the CoO while the Nafion component facilitates the transport of hydroxide ions. Consequently, supercapacitors comprising the ternary nanowires deliver the specific capacitance of calculated 18.84 mF cm−2, five times higher than those obtained at the counterpart devices that lack Nafion and/or CoO. This self-assembly method precisely organizes functional components within the nanowires, aligning with electrochemical principles to optimize charge transfer and minimize concentration gradients for improved electrochemical polarization. Our function-enhanced ternary nanowires, together with their straightforward synthetic process, promise an alternative opportunity for formulating high-performance ion-storage electrodes and thus pave the way for their application in next-generation supercapacitor technologies.