Fabrication of hollow N-doped carbon supported ultrathin NiO nanosheets for high-performance supercapacitor

Non-Isothermal Decomposition as Efficient and Simple Synthesis Method of NiO/C Nanoparticles for Asymmetric Supercapacitors

A series of NiO/C nanocomposites with NiO concentrations ranging from 10 to 90 wt% was synthesized using a simple and efficient two-step method based on non-isothermal decomposition of Nickel(II) bis(acetylacetonate). X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements of these NiO/C nanocomposites demonstrate the presence of β-NiO. NiO/C nanocomposites are composed of spherical particles distributed over the carbon support surface. The average diameter of nickel oxide spheres increases with the NiO content and are estimated as 36, 50 and 205 nm for nanocomposites with 10, 50 and 80 wt% NiO concentrations, respectively. In turn, each NiO sphere contains several nickel oxide nanoparticles, whose average sizes are 7–8 nm. According to the tests performed using a three-electrode cell, specific capacitance (SC) of NiO/C nanocomposites increases from 200 to 400 F/g as the NiO content achieves a maximum of 60 wt% concentration, after which the SC decreases. The study of the NiO/C composite showing the highest SC in three- and two-electrode cells reveals that its SC remains almost unchanged while increasing the current density, and the sample demonstrates excellent cycling stability properties. Finally, NiO/C (60% NiO) composites are shown to be promising materials for charging quartz clocks with a power rating of 1.5 V (30 min).

Research on the High-Performance Electrochemical Energy Storage of a NiO@ZnO (NZO) Hybrid Based on Growth Time

A NiO@ZnO (NZO) hybrid with different reaction times was successfully synthesized by a green hydrothermal method. After comparison, it was found that hydrothermal time had a great impact on specific capacitance. As a supercapacitor electrode of NZO-12h, it exhibited the maximum reversible specific capacitance of 985.0 F/g (3.94 F/cm2) at 5 mA/cm2 and 587.5 F/g (2.35 F/cm2) at 50 mA/cm2, as well as a high retention of 74.9% capacitance after 1500 cycles at 20 mA/cm2. Furthermore, the asymmetric electrode device with ZnO-12h and activated carbon (AC) as the positive and negative electrodes was successfully assembled. In addition, the device exhibited a specific capacitance of 85.7 F/g at 0.4 A/g. Moreover, the highest energy density of 27.13 Wh kg−1 was obtained at a power density of 321.42 W kg−1. These desirable electrochemical properties demonstrate that the NZO hybrid is a promising electrode material for a supercapacitor.