NiO/Ni x Co3-x O4 porous ultrathin nanosheet/nanowire composite structures as high-performance supercapacitor electrodes.

Abstract

The demand for a new generation of high-safety, long-lifespan, and high-capacity power sources increases rapidly with the growth of energy consumption in the world. Here we report a facile method for preparing architecture materials made of NiO/NixCo3−xO4 porous nanosheets coupled with NiO/NixCo3−xO4 porous nanowires grown in situ on nickel foams using a hydrothermal method without any binder followed by a heat treatment process. The nanosheet-shaped NiO/NixCo3−xO4 species in the nanosheet matrix function well as a scaffold and support for the dispersion of the NixCo3−xO4 nanowires, resulting in a relatively loose and open structure within the electrode matrix. Among all composite electrodes prepared, the one annealed in air at 300 °C displays the best electrochemical behavior, achieving a specific capacitance of 270 mF cm−2 at 5 mA cm−2 while maintaining excellent stability (retaining ≈ 89% of the max capacitance after 20 000 cycles), demonstrating its potential for practical application in power storage devices.