Microwave assisted fabrication of l-Arginine capped α-Ni(OH)2 microstructures as an electrode material for high performance hybrid supercapacitors

Abstract

Abstract Green chemistry has been established for the synthesis of nanomaterials to address the difficulties associated with the other synthetic methods. Microwave route is facile, rapid and one of the popular methods in green chemistry. Here, we report the electrochemical performance of 3D-connected α-Ni(OH)2 sheets prepared in the presence of l -arginine as surfactant via microwave irradiation method. The superior electrochemical performance of sheets of α-Ni(OH)2 electrodes is identified through an estimated specific capacitance of 549 C g−1 at 2 A g−1. Moreover, the prepared microstructure retains a specific capacitance of 87.3% even after 10,000 charge-discharge cycles. Moreover, the fabricated hybrid supercapacitor device (α-Ni(OH)2/polyurethane foam–6M KOH/activated carbon) could capable of delivering the energy density of 57 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 601 W kg−1. Hence, the arginine assisted α-Ni(OH)2 hybrid device may be explored as a promising power source to light electronic devices.