Porous Co3O4/VS4/rGO-SDBS@NF nanoflower as a high performance supercapacitor electrode

Abstract

Maximizing the performance of supercapacitors requires the design of high-conductivity, stable, and cost-effective electrode materials. The current study presents a novel solution in the form of self-supporting binder-free hierarchical Co3O4/VS4/rGO-SDBS@NF composite electrodes. These electrodes are fabricated using a facile and efficient two-step hydrothermal process. The growth of Co3O4 particles on VS4/rGO-SDBS flower-shaped nanosheet arrays on nickel foam substrates results in a sufficient contraction and expansion space distribution during charge and discharge. The Co3O4/VS4/rGO-SDBS@NF composite shows a specific capacitance of 2620 F g−1 at 1 A g−1, which is significantly compared to the VS4/rGO-SDBS@NF composite at 284 F g−1 in a 6 M KOH solution. Furthermore, the as-grown electrode Co3O4/VS4/rGO-SDBS@NF composite displays excellent cycling stability, with 97.4 % of its initial capacitance retained after 5000 cycles. In summary, the utilization of a simple and accessible manufacturing and synthesis method, absence of binders, in-situ growth technique, achievement of a special morphology with effective electrochemistry, excellent supercapacitor capacity, and high cyclic stability demonstrate significant improvements compared to recent works. These results provide a new perspective for the selection and synthesis of materials and the design and fabrication of electrodes for supercapacitors as energy storage devices.