An aqueous symmetric supercapacitor with wide window and high energy density using redox electrode of Cu-Al-layered double hydroxides and λ-manganese dioxide

Manganese oxide is a potential agent in the field of energy storage owing to its changeable redox characteristics, high theoretical specific capacitance and valence shells for charge transfer. On the other hand, due to huge surface area, affordability, customisable composition, layered structure and high theoretical specific capacitance, layered double hydroxides, or LDHs, have drawn a lot of interest. This study employs a three-electrode setup to investigate the supercapacitive performance of λ-manganese dioxide/Cu-Al LDH composite at different compositional ratios. To enhance the adhesive and conductivity capabilities, 10% of CNT additive and PVDF binder are added for the composites. Out of all the composites, the one with the greatest weight percentage of λ-manganese dioxide shows the best electrode performance with a superior specific capacitance of 164 F/g at a scan rate of 10 mV/s. Additionally, using a symmetrical two-electrode setup, the best-performing electrode is examined. The result shows an exceptional potential window of 2.7 V in a basic electrolyte, a power density of 4.04 kW/kg at 3 A/g, an energy density of 20.32 Wh/kg at 1 A/g, and a specific capacitance of 37 F/g.

Engineering g-C3N4 with CuAl-layered double hydroxide in 2D/2D heterostructures for visible-light water splitting

CuAl layered double hydroxide (LDH) and polymeric carbon nitride (g-C3N4, GCNN) were assembled to construct a set of novel 2D/2D CuAl-LDH/GCNN heterostructures. These materials were tested towards H2 and O2 generation from water splitting using visible-light irradiation. Compared to pristine materials, the heterostructures displayed strongly enhanced visible-light H2 evolution, dependent on the LDH content, which acts as a cocatalyst, replacing the benchmark Pt. The optimal LDH loading was achieved for 0.2CuAl-LDH/GCNN that exhibited an increased number of active sites and showed a trade-off between charge separation efficiency and light shading, resulting in a 32-fold increase in the amount of evolved H2 compared with GCNN. In addition, the 0.2CuAl-LDH/GCNN heterostructure generated 1.5 times more O2 than GCNN. The higher photocatalytic performance was due to efficient charge carriers' separation at the heterojunction interface via an S-scheme (corroborated by work function, steady-state and time-resolved photoluminescence studies), enhanced utilisation of longer-wavelength photons (>460 nm) and higher surface area available for the catalytic reactions.

Ternary NiCeCo-Layered Double Hydroxides Grown on CuBr2@ZIF-67 Nanowire Arrays for High-Performance Supercapacitors

Ternary layered double-hydroxide-based active compounds are regarded as ideal electrode materials for supercapacitors because of their unique structural characteristics and excellent electrochemical properties. Herein, an NiCeCo-layered double hydroxide with a core-shell structure grown on copper bromide nanowire arrays (CuBr₂@NCC-LDH/CF) has been synthesized through a hydrothermal strategy and calcination process and utilized to fabricate a binder-free electrode. Due to the unique top-tangled structure and the complex assembly of different active components, the prepared hierarchical CuBr₂@NCC-LDH/CF binder-free electrode exhibits an outstanding electrochemical performance, including a remarkable areal capacitance of 5460 mF cm^-2 at 2 mA cm^-2 and a capacitance retention of 88% at 50 mA cm^-2 as well as a low internal resistance of 0.163 Ω. Moreover, an all-solid-state asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) installed with CuBr₂@NCC-LDH/CF and activated carbon electrodes shows a high energy density of 118 Wh kg^-1 at a power density of 1013 W kg^-1. Three assembled ASCs connected in series can operate a multifunctional display for over three and a half hours. Therefore, this innovative work provides new inspiration for the preparation of electrode materials for supercapacitors.

Origami and layered-shaped ZnNiFe-LDH synthesized on Cu(OH)2 nanorods array to enhance the energy storage capability

The combination of layered nanorod arrays with unique core-shell structure and transition metal layered double hydroxide (LDH) is considered as a feasible solution to improve the electrochemical performances of capacitor electrode. In this study, layered ZnNiFe-LDH@Cu(OH)₂/CF core-shell nanorod arrays, which consist of ultrathin ZnNiFe-LDHs nanosheet shells and ordered Cu(OH)₂ nanorod inner cores, are successfully designed and fabricated by a typical hydrothermal way and a simple in situ oxidation reaction. The electrode prepared using ZnNiFe-LDH@Cu(OH)₂/CF nanomaterial reveals an remarkable area capacitance of 6100 mF cm^-2 at 3 mA cm^-2 current density, which is excellently superior than those of ZnFe-LDH@Cu(OH)₂/CF, NiFe-LDH@Cu(OH)₂/CF, Cu(OH)₂/CF and CF. Additionally, the capacitance retention remains as high as 83.4% after 5000 cycles and a very small Rs (0.567 Ω) can be observed. In addition, an asymmetric supercapacitor device is successfully fabricated employing ZnNiFe-LDH@Cu(OH)₂/CF. Meanwhile, the ZnNiFe-LDH@Cu(OH)₂/CF//AC device can achieve an energy density of 44 Wh kg^-1 and a corresponding power density of 720 W kg^-1 and possess the capability to light up a multi-function monitor for 33 min just using two ASC equipments connected in series. Therefore, the prepared ZnNiFe-LDH@Cu(OH)₂/CF composite materials with unique structure has great application potential in energy storage devices.

Core–shell Cu1.94S–MnS nanoheterostructures synthesized by cation exchange for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

The nanoheterostructures synthesized by cation exchange present the integration of synergetic designs into high-quality, well-defined catalysts for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution.

The synergistic effect of carbon nanotubes and graphitic carbon nitride on the enhanced supercapacitor performance of cobalt diselenide-based composites

Carbon nanotubes and g-C₃N₄ synergistically optimize the electrical conductivity and spatial structure of CoSe₂, thus improving the performance of supercapacitors.

NiO-decorated graphitic carbon nitride toward electrocatalytic hydrogen production from ethanol

In this study, exfoliated g-C3N4/NiO nanocomposites were synthesized by the heat treatment of urea and subsequent ultrasonic exfoliation of the colloidal solution with the introduction of nickel acetate. Ultrafine nanocomposites were obtained after repeated heat treatment and were marked as initial g-C3N4, g-C3N4/NiO 2.5%, g-C3N4/NiO 5.0%, g-C3N4/NiO 7.5%, and g-C3N4/NiO 10%. The successful attachment of NiO to the surface of g-C3N4 was further confirmed by the results of TEM and SAED. The average sizes of the coherent scattering region, determined by the broadening of the reflex (002), were 11.6, 10.4, 10.4, 9.9 and 9.9 nm for the initial, 2.5%, 5.0%, 7.5%, 10% samples, respectively. The obtained powder of graphite-like carbon nitride and the NiO-composites, according to the results of low-temperature nitrogen adsorption, had a mesoporous structure and was characterized by an average pore size of 16.6-20.8 nm and a porosity of 0.40-0.57 cm3 g-1. It was found that increasing the amount of nickel oxide in the composite had a positive effect on the electrochemical characteristics of the electrode during electro-catalytic reforming - hydrogen evolution from a water-alcohol solution. The g-C3N4/NiO 7.5% nanocomposite showed the best results. Based on voltammetry, it was found that the overpotential of the hydrogen evolution reaction on graphitic carbon nitride equalled 215 mV (at 10 mA cm-2) and the Tafel slope was 95 mV dec-1. The results of the cyclic voltammetry of the electrode based on exfoliated g-C3N4 indicated its high stability.

Synthesis of Hierarchical Porous Ni1.5Co1.5S4/g-C3N4 Composite for Supercapacitor with Excellent Cycle Stability

In this work, the hierarchical porous Ni1.5Co1.5S4/g-C3N4 composite was prepared by growing Ni1.5Co1.5S4 nanoparticles on graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) nanosheets via a hydrothermal route. Due to the self-assembly of larger size g-C3N4 nanosheets as a skeleton, the prepared nanocomposite possesses a unique hierarchical porous structure that can provide short ions diffusion and fast electron transport. As a result, the Ni1.5Co1.5S4/g-C3N4 composite exhibits a high specific capacitance of 1827 F g-1 at a current density of 1 A g-1, which is 1.53 times that of pure Ni1.5Co1.5S4 (1191 F g-1). In particular, the Ni1.5Co1.5S4/g-C3N4//activated carbon (AC) asymmetric supercapacitor delivers a high energy density of 49.0 Wh kg-1 at a power density of 799.0 W kg-1. Moreover, the assembled device shows outstanding cycle stability with 95.5% capacitance retention after 8000 cycles at a high current density of 10 A g-1. The attractive performance indicates that the easily synthesized and low-cost Ni1.5Co1.5S4/g-C3N4 composite would be a promising electrode material for supercapacitor application.

Recent Progress in Two-Dimensional Layered Double Hydroxides and Their Derivatives for Supercapacitors

High-performance supercapacitors have attracted great attention due to their high power, fast charging/discharging, long lifetime, and high safety. However, the generally low energy density and overall device performance of supercapacitors limit their applications. In recent years, the design of rational electrode materials has proven to be an effective pathway to improve the capacitive performances of supercapacitors. Layered double hydroxides (LDHs), have shown great potential in new-generation supercapacitors, due to their unique two-dimensional layered structures with a high surface area and tunable composition of the host layers and intercalation species. Herein, recent progress in LDH-based, LDH-derived, and composite-type electrode materials targeted for applications in supercapacitors, by tuning the chemical/metal composition, growth morphology, architectures, and device integration, is reviewed. The complicated relationships between the composition, morphology, structure, and capacitive performance are presented. A brief projection is given for the challenges and perspectives of LDHs for energy research.

Construction of heterostructure based on hierarchical Bi2MoO6 and g-C3N4 with ease for impressive performance in photoelectrocatalytic water splitting and supercapacitor

This work demonstrates the formation of g-C₃N₄/Bi₂MoO₆ heterostructure for water splitting and supercapacitor; which shows highest PEC efficiency and symmetric device delivered a energy density and power density of 47 W h kg⁻¹ and 4.5 kW kg⁻¹.

CuO nanorods grown vertically on graphene nanosheets as a battery-type material for high-performance supercapacitor electrodes

This work reports the preparation and characterization of the CuO nanorods grown vertically on graphene nanosheets, denoted as CuO/rGO@NF. Graphene is deposited by electrostatic attraction showing the morphology of folded nanosheets, which improves the electrical conductivity of the electrode, while CuO is modified by filtered cathodic vacuum arc technology and subsequent electrochemical oxidation presenting the morphology of nanorods, which increases the contact area of active sites and shortens the ion and electronic diffusion path. The results show that the CuO/rGO@NF electrode deliver an ultrahigh specific capacity (2.51 C cm⁻² at 2 mA cm⁻²), remarkable rate performance (64.6%) and improved conductivity. A symmetrical supercapacitor is assembled by two identical electrodes, presenting the maximum energy density of 38.35 W h kg⁻¹ at a power density of 187.5 W kg⁻¹. Therefore, the CuO/rGO@NF electrode can be used as a prospective electrode for energy storage devices. In addition, the whole electrode preparation process is short in time, safe and environmentally friendly, which provides a new idea for the preparation of other electrode materials.

The CuO/rGO@NF electrode is prepared by a simple and time-saving method, which has ultrahigh area capacity and excellent rate performance.

Hierarchical CuAl-layered double hydroxide/CoWO4 nanocomposites with enhanced efficiency for use in supercapacitors with long cycling stability

A CuAl-LDH/CoWO₄ nanocomposite was used in an asymmetric supercapacitor, providing 35.87 W h kg⁻¹ energy density and 10 188 W kg⁻¹ power density.