In situ growth of self-supported and defect-engineered carbon nanotube networks on 316L stainless steel as binder-free supercapacitors

Carbon dioxide-boosted growth of high-density and vertically aligned carbon nanotube arrays on a stainless steel mesh

Vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNTs), a unique group of highly aligned CNTs normal to a substrate, have been extensively studied during the past decades. However, it is a long-standing challenge to improve the height of VACNTs due to the incidental deactivation of catalysts during growth. Herein, we demonstrate a facile strategy toward synthesizing high-density and well-aligned CNT arrays from in situ formed Fe-based catalysts on a stainless steel (SS) mesh. These catalysts were generated by direct oxidation-reduction treatment to the SS, which had excellent adhesion on the mesh substrate, and thus suppressed catalyst aggregation and promoted CNT growth under the flow of C₂H₂. In particular, by feeding additional CO₂ at an optimal rate, the height of CNT arrays could be boosted from ca. 15 μm to ca. 80.0 μm, one of the highest heights observed for VACNTs on SS-based substrates so far. This is attributed to the prolonged activity of the catalysts by CO₂ induced removal of extra carbon. Our study might provide an insight into the development of efficient strategies for VACNT growth on conductive substrates.

Synthesis of bimetallic nickel cobalt selenide particles for high-performance hybrid supercapacitors

Supercapacitors are known as promising excellent electrochemical energy storage devices because of their attractive features, including quick charge and discharge, high power density, low cost and high security. In this work, a series of litchi-like Ni-Co selenide particles were synthesized via a simple solvothermal method, and the Ni-Co compositions were carefully optimized to tune the charge storage performance, charge storage kinetics, and conductivity for battery-like supercapacitors. Interestingly, the optimal sample Ni0.95Co2.05Se4 exhibits a high capacity of 1038.75 F g-1 at 1 A g-1 and superior rate performance (retains 97.8% of the original capacity at 4 A g-1). Moreover, an asymmetric supercapacitor device was assembled based on the Ni0.95Co2.05Se4 cathode and activated carbon anode. The device of Ni0.95Co2.05Se4//active carbon (AC) reveals a peak energy density of 37.22 W h kg-1, and the corresponding peak power density reaches 800.90 W kg-1. This work provides a facile and effective way to synthesize transition metal selenides as high-performance supercapacitor electrode materials.

NiCo2S4nanosheets decorated on nitrogen-doped hollow carbon nanospheres as advanced electrodes for high-performance asymmetric supercapacitors

Taking advantage of both Faradaic and carbonaceous materials is an efficient way to synthesize composite electrodes with enhanced performance for supercapacitors. In this study, NiCo₂S₄nanoflakes were grown on the surface of nitrogen-doped hollow carbon nanospheres (NHCSs), forming a NiCo₂S₄/NHCS composite with a core-shell structure. This three-dimensionally confined growth of NiCo₂S₄can effectively inhibit its aggregation and facilitate mass transport and charge transfer. Accordingly, the NiCo₂S₄/NHCS composite exhibited high cycling stability with only 9.2% capacitance fading after 10 000 cycles, outstanding specific capacitance of 902 F g^-1at 1 A g^-1, and it retained 90.6% of the capacitance at 20 A g^-1. Moreover, an asymmetric supercapacitor composed of NiCo₂S₄/NHCS and activated carbon electrodes delivered remarkable energy density (31.25 Wh kg^-1at 750 W kg^-1), excellent power density (15003 W kg^-1at 21.88 Wh kg^-1), and satisfactory cycling stability (13.4% capacitance fading after 5000 cycles). The outstanding overall performance is attributed to the synergistic effect of the NiCo₂S₄shell and NHSC core, which endows the composite with a stable structure, high electrical conductivity, abundant active reaction sites, and short ion-transport pathways. The synthesized NiCo₂S₄/NHCS composite is a competitive candidate for the electrodes of high-performance supercapacitors.

Sulfur-doped carbon nanotubes with hierarchical micro/mesopores for high performance pseudocapacitive supercapacitors

Increasing the specific surface area and the amount of doping heteroatoms is an effective means to improve the electrochemical properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The usual activation method makes it difficult for the retention of the heteroatoms while enlarging the specific surface area, and it can be found from literatures that specific surface area and S-content of carbon-based electrode materials are mutually exclusive. Here, CNTs with high specific surface area and sulfur content are constructed by simple activation of sulfonated polymer nanotubes with KHCO₃, and the excellent electrochemical performance can be explained by the following points: first, KHCO₃can be decomposed into K₂CO₃, CO₂and H₂O during the activation process. The synergistic action of physical activation (CO₂and H₂O) and chemical activation (K₂CO₃) equips the electrode material with high specific surface area of 1840 m²g^-1and hierarchical micro/mesopores, which is beneficial to its double-layer capacitance. Second, compared with reported porous CNTs prepared by chemical activation (KOH) or physical activation (CO₂or H₂O), the mild activator KHCO₃makes the sulfur content at a high level of 4.6 at%, which is very advantageous for high pseudocapacitance performance.

High performance of filter capacitor based on nitrogen-doped carbon nanotube supercapacitor

The high-performance filter capacitor is a hot research topic in the field of filter circuits for flexible and wearable devices, whereas traditional aluminum electrolytic capacitors still experience widespread problems in terms of large error factors and poor stability. To avoid these disadvantages, in this work, we have developed a liquid dual-layer supercapacitor (SC). When it is employed as the filter capacitor in a filter circuit, any waveform signal can be transformed into a linear signal. The maximum fluctuation of the output signal is less than 16 mV; the SC also demonstrates excellent filtering stability in a frequency range of 1 ∼ 100 000 Hz, as well as an amplitude window of 0 ∼ 10 V. In this framework, our filter SC demonstrates unparalleled processing properties, and can greatly improve the stability and extend the lifetime of the entire electronic circuit. The fact that the requirements of high-end electronic products can be fulfilled due to the contribution of this filter SC are particularly significant.

Self-template/activation nitrogen-doped porous carbon materials derived from lignosulfonate-based ionic liquids for high performance supercapacitors

A simple ion exchange reaction of sodium lignosulfonate (SLS) and 1-allyl-3-methyl imidazolium chloride ([Amim]Cl) produced a new polymeric ionic liquid [Amim]LS and NaCl, and the mixture was successfully used as a precursor to prepare a nitrogen-doped porous carbon material via direct carbonization without any additional activation agent or template. It was believed that the in situ produced NaCl during the precursor synthesis process acted as the self-template and in self-activation. The introduction of imidazolium ionic liquid into the precursor raised the nitrogen content of the obtained carbon material up to 4.68% for a high yield of [Amim]LS-700 carbon material up to 34.6%. The effect of carbonization temperature on the structures and electrochemical properties of the prepared carbon were also studied systematically. It was found that the carbon material exhibits a superior gravimetric capacitance up to 230 F g-1 (0.1 A g-1) at the carbonization temperature of 700 °C, a good energy density of 7.99 W h kg-1 at the power density of 25 W Kg-1, and an excellent cycling stability of 90.3% after 20 000 cycles. This work provides a new path for the value-added utilization of biomass coupled with the field of electrochemical energy storage.

Facile preparation of porous sheet-sheet hierarchical nanostructure NiO/Ni-Co-Mn-O x with enhanced specific capacity and cycling stability for high performance supercapacitors

NiO, Ni–Co–Mn–O_x and NiO/Ni–Co–Mn–O_x on nickel foam substrates were prepared via a chemical bath deposition–calcination. The thermodynamic behavior was observed by TG/DTA. The chemical structure and composition, phase structure and microstructures were tested by XPS, XRD, FE-SEM and TEM. The electrochemical performance was measured by CV, GCD and EIS. The mechanism for formation and enhancing electrochemical performance is also discussed. Firstly, the precursors such as NiOOH, CoOOH and MnOOH grow on nickel foam substrates from a homogeneous mixed solution via chemical bath deposition. Thereafter, these precursors are calcined and decomposed into NiO, Co₃O₄ and MnO₂ respectively under different temperatures in a muffle furnace. Notably, NiO/Ni–Co–Mn–O_x on nickel foam substrates reveals a high specific capacity with 1023.50 C g⁻¹ at 1 A g⁻¹ and an excellent capacitance retention with 103.94% at 5 A g⁻¹ after 3000 cycles in 2 M KOH, its outstanding electrochemical performance and cycling stability are mainly attributed to a porous sheet–sheet hierarchical nanostructure and synergistic effects of pseudo-capacitive materials and excellent redox reversibility. Therefore, this research offers a facile synthesis route to transition metal oxides for high performance supercapacitors.

NiO, Ni–Co–Mn–O_x and NiO/Ni–Co–Mn–O_x on nickel foam substrates were prepared via a chemical bath deposition–calcination.