Optimizing electrochemical performance of sonochemically and hydrothermally synthesized cobalt phosphate for supercapattery devices

The supercapattery (hybrid energy storage device) has procured miraculous heed for their significant electrochemical performance, constitute combine features of supercapacitor (prodigious power density) and batteries (substantial energy density), still crave for electrode material with better electrochemical conduct. Here, cobalt phosphate ((Co₃(PO₄)₂) nanostructures were synthesized using sonochemical and hydrothermal approach. The SEM, XRD, and EDX were employed to explore surface morphology, crystal structure, and elemental analysis respectively of as synthesized nanomaterials. The electrochemical performance was evaluated in two and three electrode assembly. The maximum specific capacity of 285 C g^-1 at 3 mV/s and 221 C g^-1 at 4.1 A g^-1 has been obtained by sonochemically synthesized nanomaterial (S1). This electrode material with optimum electrochemical performance was further investigated for supercapattery application. Asymmetric device was fabricated, comprising activated carbon as negative and S1 as positive electrode material. The supercapattery device exhibits a specific capacity of 147.2 C g^-1 bearing an outstanding energy density of 34.8 Whkg^?1 with a power density of 425.0 W kg^-1 at 0.5 A g^-1. The device was found to have a remarkable power density of 6800.0 W kg^-1 while retaining an energy density of 10.0 Whkg^?1 with exceptional capacity preservation of 87.2% after 10,000 consecutive GCD cycles even at 8.0 A g^-1. The device performance was further explored in terms of capacitive and diffusion controlled processes and found to have a maximum capacitive contribution of 63.8% at 100 mV s^-1. The sonochemical method was found to be the optimal route to synthesize nanomaterials for energy storage applications.     

Constructing 3D honeycomb-like CoMn2O4 nanoarchitecture on nitrogen-doped graphene coating Ni foam as flexible battery-type electrodes for advanced supercapattery

Reasonable structural design is significant to enable the performance in advanced energy storage devices. Herein, a 3D honeycomb-like CoMn₂O₄ nanoarchitecture (CMO) on nitrogen-doped graphene (NG) coating Ni foam (denoted as Ni/NG/CMO) flexible battery-type electrode was prepared by a facile two-step hydrothermal strategy. The honeycomb-like CoMn₂O₄ arrays not only provide abundant active sites but can also be closely combined with the Ni foam/NG substrate, which enables high reversible capacity and good cycle stability during the long cycles. Benefiting from the compositional features and 3D honeycomb-like nanoarchitecture, the Ni/NG/CMO composite electrode displays improved electrochemical performance with remarkable specific capacity of 527.0C g⁻¹ at a current density of 1 A g⁻¹, outstanding rate capability (338.6C g⁻¹ even at 20 A g⁻¹). In addition, a flexible binder-free supercapattery device has been assembled with Ni/NG/CMO as positive electrode and 3D Ni/NG as negative electrode. Such a supercapattery delivers a high energy density of 44.1 Wh·kg⁻¹ at 992.6 W kg⁻¹, 20.3 Wh·kg⁻¹ at 12430.0 W kg⁻¹ as well as excellent cycling durability. The 3D honeycomb-like Ni/NG/CMO could be considered as an advanced flexible battery-type material for high capacity and energy density fields.     

Self-assembly of novel cobalt iron phosphate nanoparticles for the solid-state supercapattery and high-performance hydrogen evolution reaction

In this article, we report the preparation of novel cobalt iron phosphate nanoparticles which are self-assembled for energy storage, energy conversion, and sustainability. The self-assembled nanoparticles provide an efficient pathway for the transfer of electrons from the bulk of the materials to the interface of the electrode. This hypothesis has been derived from the analysis based on the electrochemical results for the supercapacitor-based energy storage and hydrogen evolution. The electrode consisting of self-assembled nanoparticles exhibits a maximum specific capacity of 280 C g⁻¹ at a specific current of 1 A g⁻¹. The cyclic voltammetric results suggest the prominent charge storage is by the faradaic reaction which has been concluded from Dunn's approach. The supercapattery device utilizing activated carbon (AC) as the negative electrode and cobalt iron phosphate as the positive electrode exhibit a specific capacity of 210 C g⁻¹ at 2 A g⁻¹ while the specific energy of 47.6 Wh kg^-1 at 1.6 kW kg⁻¹. Furthermore, the electrode actively catalyzes the electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction and it can be lowering the overpotential required by the hydrogen generation. It exhibits the overpotential of 197 mV while the electrode represents the long-time (24 h) consistency for hydrogen production. These results indicate that the novel cobalt iron phosphate nanoparticles could be a potential candidate for energy storage and conversion purposes.     

Self-assembled Mo doped Ni-MOF nanosheets based electrode material for high performance battery-supercapacitor hybrid device

The application of MOF materials in supercapacitors has been greatly restricted due to the poor conductivity and structural stability. Given that, this work improves the conductivity and stability of Ni-MOF by self-assembled strategy. We report here the Mo-doped Ni-MOF nanosheets (M-NMN), in which the Mo-based clusters are encapsulated in the holes of the Ni-MOF frame structure by self-assembly. The results show that the M-NMN-1 material with a Mi/Mo molar ratio of 1: 1 exhibits an excellent electrochemical performance. Furthermore, the nanosheet structure of the M-NMN-1 materials acts as a “superhigh way” for charge transport to accelerate charge transfer rate and enhance the conductivity of the electrode materials. As-prepared M-NMN-1 electrode material exhibits high specific capacity of 802 C g⁻¹ at 1 A g⁻¹. Furthermore, assembled battery-supercapacitor hybrid device exhibits an excellent energy density of 59 Wh kg⁻¹ at a power density of 802 W kg⁻¹, and superior cycle retention of 93% after 20,000 cycles.     

High-performance hybrid supercapacitor based on the porous copper cobaltite/cupric oxide nanosheets as a battery-type positive electrode material

In this work, CuCo₂O₄/CuO nanosheets (NSs) and CuCo₂O₄ oblique prisms (OPs) were synthesized at 130 °C with different amounts of hexamethyltetramine (HMTA) and reaction time through a hydrothermal method, and followed by an annealing treatment of precursors in air. The CuCo₂O₄/CuO NSs with 40 nm in thickness possessed a large specific surface area of 43.34 m² g⁻¹ and a mean pore size of 18.14 nm. The electrochemical tests revealed that the CuCo₂O₄/CuO NSs were belonged to the battery-type electrode material and exhibited a specific capacity of 395.55 C g⁻¹ at the current density of 1 A g⁻¹, higher than 258.16 C g⁻¹ for CuCo₂O₄ OPs. A hybrid supercapacitor (HSC) was assembled with activated carbon (AC) as negative electrode and CuCo₂O₄-based materials as positive electrode. The CuCo₂O₄/CuO NSs//AC HSC exhibited a high energy density of 30.18 Wh kg⁻¹ at a power density of 869.62 W kg⁻¹, and showed a fantastic cycling performance with 105.22% capacity retention over 5000 cycles. In contrast, the CuCo₂O₄ OPs//AC HSC delivered an energy density 26.27 Wh kg⁻¹ at 916.74 W kg⁻¹. These impressive electrochemical properties indicate that CuCo₂O₄/CuO NSs may serve as a promising electrode material for the highly capable hybrid supercapacitors in the near future.     

Core-shell structured ZIF-7@ZIF-67 with high electrochemical performance for all-solid-state asymmetric supercapacitor

Zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) are considered as a promising material for energy storage in recent years. Here, core-shell structured ZIF-7@ZIF-67 is synthesized in this work. The core-shell structured material can promote electron transfer of inner-outer metals ions of ZIF-7@ZIF-67, quicken diffusion of electrolyte ions and improve the capacitance performance compared to the ZIF-7 and ZIF-67. ZIF-7@ZIF-67 delivers good energy storage ability with a specific capacitance of 518.9 F g⁻¹ at a current density of 1 A g⁻¹ and remarkable stability with a retention of 99.6% after 4000 cycles in the three-electrode system. Furthermore, an all-solid-state asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) device is assembled based on core-shell structured ZIF-7@ZIF-67 as positive electrode. Impressively, the ASC device displays an energy density of 31 Wh kg⁻¹ at a power density of 400 W kg⁻¹ and an excellent cyclic stability with 99.5% retention after 10,000 cycles at a current density of 10 A g⁻¹. Finally, two all-solid-state ASCs are contacted to power various lighting-emitting diodes (LED). The red LED can be kept glowing for over 10 min. These electrochemical characteristics suggest that core-shell structured ZIF-7@ZIF-67 is a potential material for energy storage device with long-life cyclic stability.     

Sulphur-reduced graphene oxide composite with improved electrochemical performance for supercapacitor applications

In this research, carbon nanorods/fibers materials were successfully synthesized from sulphur-reduced graphene oxide (RGO-S) composite by using an improved Hummers' method. Morphological, structural, compositional and textural characterization of the composite material were obtained via scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), respectively. The electrochemical performance of the composite sample as a promising supercapacitor electrode revealed a peak specific capacity of 113.8 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.5 A g⁻¹ estimated via GCD curves in 6 M KOH aqueous electrolyte. The half-cell could retain a columbic efficiency of about 98.7% with a corresponding energy efficiency of about 98.5% over 2000 constant charge/discharge cycle at a specific current of 5 A g⁻¹. Remarkably, an assembled hybrid device with carbonized iron cations (C-FP) and the RGO-S composite delivered high energy and power densities of 35.2 Wh kg⁻¹ and 375 W kg⁻¹ at 0.5 A g⁻¹ within a 1.5 V operating potential, respectively. A good cycling stability performance with an energy efficiency of 99% was observed for the device for up to 10,000 cycling at a specific current of 3 A g⁻¹.     

A comparative study of various polyelectrolyte/nanocomposite electrode combinations in symmetric supercapacitors

A more practical, nontoxic and cheaper electrolyte, poly(2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid) (PAMPS) was used to construct supercapacitors with different nanocomposite electrodes. The flexible devices were fabricated including active carbon (AC) electrode and nanocomposites electrodes of AC/nano-silica (nano-SiO₂) and AC/multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) at various weight percentages. The symmetrical cell made from AC electrodes generated a maximum specific capacitance (Cs) of 315 F g⁻¹ at 0.5 A g⁻¹. The energy density of this device was 55.5 Wh kg⁻¹ at a power density of 690 W kg⁻¹. Excellent performance was achieved after 5000 charge-discharge cycles where the supercapacitor maintains 92% of its activity. The energy storage capability of the supercapacitors was also investigated with the addition of nano-SiO₂ and MWCNTs. The Cs of the supercapacitors made with the electrodes AC/nano-SiO₂ (5%, 10%, 25% and 50%) were 172, 228, 247 and 55 F g⁻¹, respectively. Similarly, the capacity of the device including the electrodes of AC/MWCNTs (5%, 10%, 25% and 50%) varied as 191, 244, 93 and 20 F g⁻¹ at 0.5 A g⁻¹. The maximum energy density of the devices having nano-SiO₂ and MWCNT were 44.4 Wh kg⁻¹ and 43.8 Wh kg⁻¹, respectively at a power density of 520 W kg⁻¹. A supercapacitor with certain dimension successfully operated a light-emitting diode (LED).     

Walnut shell-derived hierarchical porous carbon with high performances for electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution and symmetry supercapacitors

Walnut Shell-derived hierarchical porous carbon has been successfully synthesized by the efficient KOH activation process. The hierarchical porous carbon material activated at 600 °C, has the specific micropore area of 1037.31 m² g⁻¹ and micropore volume of 0.51 cm³ g⁻¹, which leads to have electrochemical performances of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and supercapacitors. Specifically, as the hydrogen evolution reaction electrocatalyst, the walnut shell-derived carbon material activated at 600 °C exhibits a lower onset potential of 6.00 mV, a smaller Tafel slope of 69.76 mV dec⁻¹ and outstanding stability above long-term cycling. As a supercapacitor electrode material, the sample possesses specific capacitance of 262.74 F g⁻¹ at 0.5 A g⁻¹, the remarkable rate capability of 224.60 F g⁻¹ at even 10 A g⁻¹ and good long-term stability. A symmetric supercapacitor shows the highly energy density of 7.97 Wh kg⁻¹ at a power density of 180.80 W kg⁻¹. This novel and low-cost biomass material is very promising for the electrocatalytic water splitting and supercapacitors.     

Co-precipitation synthesis of nickel cobalt hexacyanoferrate for binder-free high-performance supercapacitor electrodes

Prussian blue analogue with a typical metal-organic framework has been widely used as an electrode material in supercapacitor. In this work, nickel cobalt hexacyanoferrate (Ni₂CoHCF) was grown on nickel foam directly using a simple co-precipitation method. The as-prepared Ni₂CoHCF was tested by transmission electron microscope, scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction and X-ray electron energy spectrum. The results showed that Ni₂CoHCF has a unique open face-centered cubic structure. The Ni₂CoHCF was used to set an asymmetric supercapacitor directly. A series of electrochemical tests showed that Ni₂CoHCF had an excellent electrochemical performance. The specific capacitance of the supercapacitor was 585 C g⁻¹ (1300.0 F g⁻¹, 162.5 mAh g⁻¹) at the current density of 0.5 A g⁻¹. After 2000 cycles, it still maintained 85.57% of its initial specific capacitance at the current density of 10 A g⁻¹. The energy density was 30.59 Wh kg⁻¹ at the power density of 378.7 W kg⁻¹. The results show that the supercapacitor constructed by Ni₂CoHCF as an electrode material has high-current charge-discharge capacity, high energy density and long cycle life.     

Facile preparation of SnS2 nanoflowers and nanoplates for the application of high-performance hybrid supercapacitors

In this work, the SnS₂ nanoflowers (SnS₂ NFs) were solvothermally prepared in the solvent of ethanol, while SnS₂ nanoplates (SnS₂ NPs) were obtained through the identical conditions except for the solvent of water. The flowers were assembled with numerous nanosheets with very thin thickness, and the NPs exhibited hexagonal shape. When used as the battery-type electrode material for supercapacitors, the SnS₂ NFs delivered a specific capacity of as high as 264.4 C g^?1 at 1 A g^?1, which was higher than the 201.6 C g^?1 of SnS₂ NPs. Furthermore, a hybrid supercapacitor (HSC) was assembled with the SnS₂ as positive electrode and activated carbon (AC) as negative electrode, respectively. The SnS₂ NFs//AC HSC exhibited a high energy density of 28.1 Wh kg^?1 at 904.3 W kg^?1, which was higher than the 24.2 Wh kg^?1 at 844.3 W kg^?1 of SnS₂ NPs//AC HSC. Especially, when the power density was enhanced to the highest value of 8666.8 W kg^?1, the NFs-based device could still hold 20.4 Wh kg^?1. In addition, both HSC devices showed an excellent cycling stability after 5000 cycles at 5 A g^?1. The present method is simple and can be extended to the preparation of other transition metal sulfides (TMSs)-based electrode materials with brilliant electrochemical performance for supercapacitors.     

Electrospun NiO/C nanofibers as electrode materials for hybrid supercapacitors with superior electrochemical performance

In this work, the porous NiO/C nanofibers (NFs) were rationally designed and prepared by a convenient electrospinning method, and followed with a calcination conversion of the precursor in air. The NiO/C composite exhibited a net-like structure that was composed of many intertwined NFs with an average diameter of about 200 nm. The electrochemical measurements demonstrated that the porous NiO/C NFs exhibited an electrochemical feature of battery-type electrode material, and delivered a specific capacity as high as 461.26 C g^?1 under 1 A g^?1 and an excellent rate capability with 82.7% capacity retention at 10 A g^?1. A hybrid supercapacitor (NiO/C NFs//AC HSC) was assembled with NiO/C NFs as positive electrode and activated carbon (AC) as negative electrode, which delivered an energy density of 31.82 W h kg^?1 under a power density of 816.36 W kg^?1 along with an outstanding cyclic stability of 90.9% capacity retention over 5000 cycles at 5 A g^?1. This simple synthetic method can be extended to the fabrication of other transition metal oxides (TMOs)-based NFs for their further applications in high-performance electrochemical energy storage devices such as hybrid supercapacitors, batteries, and so on.     

A new Co-ZIF derived nanoporous cobalt-rich carbons with high-potential-window as high-performance electrodes for supercapacitors

In this work, a Co-ZIF material and the derived nanoporous cobalt-rich carbons by direct carbonization of this Co-ZIF material were synthesized and used as electrode materials for supercapacitors. This ZIF material exhibited a high specific capacitance of 160.3 F g⁻¹ at 0.5 A g⁻¹, an excellent rate capability (73.72 F g⁻¹ at 10 A g⁻¹), and a good cycling stability with 100% of its initials specific capacitance after 8000 cycles. In addition, the obtained derived nanoporous carbons displayed ideal capacitor behaviors and were promising electroactive materials for supercapacitors at low current density. The nanoporous carbon obtained at 650 °C possessed a highest specific capacitance of 393 F g⁻¹ at 0.5 A g⁻¹ and a wide potential application range of −1.0–0.33 V. In addition, a symmetric supercapacitor device consisting of Z-C-650 and activated carbon exhibited a maximum energy density of 61.23 Wh Kg⁻¹ at a power density of 700 W kg⁻¹ and predicted that Z-C-650 could be used as a potential energy storage material.     

Battery-type and binder-free MgCo2O4-NWs@NF electrode materials for the assembly of advanced hybrid supercapacitors

In this study, the hetero-structure of MgCo₂O₄ nanowires (MCO-NWs) and microcubes (MCO-MCs) on the skeleton of nickel foam (NF) was realized through a simple hydrothermal method and subsequent annealing treatment, and then served as a binder-free cathode for assembly of high-performance hybrid supercapacitor (HSC). Such synthetic methodology avoided the traditional usage of conductive and binder reagents for the electrode fabrication. The electrochemical tests indicated its battery-type characteristics, and the MCO-NWs@NF exhibited a huge specific capacity (C_s) of 389.0 C g^?1 as well as 86.2% capacity retention when the current density boosted from 1 to 10 A g^?1. The assembled HSC with activated carbon (AC) as anode further demonstrated the advantages of this electrode material. After 5000 cycles at 6 A g^?1, the MCO-NWs@NF//AC HSC showed good long-term cycling stability without any decay in capacitance, and could deliver an energy density (E_d) of 37.9 W h kg^?1 at the power density (P_d) of 958.1 W kg^?1, higher than the 30.4 W h kg^?1 of MCs-based HSC. These impressive results regarding electrochemical performance suggest that MCO-NWs@NF may be a promising candidate to serve as a battery-type material in electrochemical energy storage applications such as HSCs, batteries, and so on.     

Interconnected NiS-nanosheets@porous carbon derived from Zeolitic-imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) as electrode materials for high-performance hybrid supercapacitors

Nickel sulfide-based materials have shown great potential for electrode fabrication owing to their high theoretical specific capacitance but poor conductivity and morphological aggregation. A feasible strategy is to design hybrid structure by introducing highly-conductive porous carbon as the supporting matrix. Herein, we synthesized hybrid composites consisting of interconnected NiS-nanosheets and porous carbon (NiS@C) derived from Zeolitic-imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) using a facile low-temperature water-bath method. When employed as electrode materials, the as-prepared NiS@C nanocomposites present remarkable electrochemical performance owing to the complex effect that is the combined advantages of double-layer capacitor-type porous carbon and pseudocapacitor-type interconnected-NiS nanosheets. Specifically, the NiS@C nanocomposites exhibit a high specific capacitance of 1827 F g⁻¹ at 1 A g⁻¹, and excellent cyclic stability with a capacity retention of 72% at a very high current density of 20 A g⁻¹ after 5000 cycles. Moreover, the fabricated hybrid supercapacitor delivers 21.6 Wh kg⁻¹ at 400 W kg⁻¹ with coulombic efficiency of 93.9%, and reaches 10.8 Wh kg⁻¹ at a high power density of 8000 W kg⁻¹, along with excellent cyclic stability of 84% at 5 A g⁻¹ after 5000 cycles. All results suggest that NiS@C nanocomposites are applicable to high-performance electrodes in hybrid supercapacitors and other energy-storage device applications.     

Complexing of NixMny sulfides microspheres via a facile solvothermal approach as advanced electrode materials with excellent charge storage performances

Mixed metal sulfides with high specific capacitances and superior rate capabilities can meet the need of new materials for technological advancement of energy storage systems. We demonstrate in this study a facile fabrication of microspheres-like Ni_xMn_y sulfides with different molar ratios of metallic salts through a one-step solvothermal route. The hierarchical Ni_xMn_y sulfides-based compounds feature spherical architectures with relatively rough surfaces and assembled from ultrasmall and self-aggregated nanoprimary crystals. Especially, the Ni_xMn_y sulfide (x/y = 1:1) presents an excellent battery-like performance with a high specific capacitance (219.4 mAh g⁻¹ at current density of 1 A g⁻¹) and a good rate capability (123 mAh g⁻¹ at 50 A g⁻¹), benefiting from the greatly improved faradaic redox processes boosted by the synergistic effect of Ni and Mn electroactive components and as well as fast mass transfer. Furthermore, the as-fabricated asymmetric supercapacitor based on Ni_xMn_y sulfide (x/y = 1:1) presents a maximum energy density of 34 W h kg⁻¹ at a power density of 868.1 W kg⁻¹ with both superior rate and long-term cycling stabilities. In view of low cost and improved electrochemical performance, such integrated compound proposes a new and feasible pathway as a potential electrode configuration for energy storage devices.     

Binder-free engineering design of Ni-MOF ultrathin sheet-like grown on PANI@GO decorated nickel foam as an electrode for in hydrogen evolution reaction and asymmetric supercapacitor

In this study, Ni₃(benzene 1,3,5-tricarboxylic acid)@polyaniline-rGO nanocomposite (Ni-MOF@PANI-rGO) is fabricated by a two-step procedure involving polymerization and hydrothermal operations. This nanocomposite-based Ni-MOF was designed for binder-free surface modification of nickel foam (NF). This is offered a novel approach for enhancing the electrochemical performance, and even energy density with a wider operating potential window. An in-situ Ni-MOF was then synthesized on polyaniline@GO (PANI-GO) using an NH-fragment linker and an in-situ hydrothermal technique. The electrochemical behavior of the nanocomposite was studied in asymmetric systems and exhibited outstanding electrochemical performance, high energy density, and power density (73.99 Wh kg⁻¹ at 848.29 W kg⁻¹). The electrode also showed a high specific capacity (1680 C g⁻¹ at 1.0 A g⁻¹) and exceptional cycling stability (92⁒) after 5000 cycles in a three-electrode system. The present results imply a direct application of Ni-MOF@PANI-rGO composite as a bridge performance between supercapacitors and batteries. In addition, the electrocatalyst activity of Ni-MOF@PANI-rGO toward hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) was investigated by linear sweep voltammetry at a scan rate of 10 mV s⁻¹ in 1.0 M KOH. The results showed that Ni-MOF@PAN-rGO acts as a suitable electrocatalyst with the lowest overpotential at 10, 50, and 80 mA cm⁻² and the lowest Tafel slope.     

Metal-organic frameworks supported Ni–Co–S nanosheet arrays for advanced hybrid supercapacitors

Constructing self-supporting porous electrode material with abundant electrochemical active sites can effectively improve the energy storage capacity of supercapacitors. Herein, a novel electrode material (NCS@Co-ZIF/NF) is developed by depositing zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (Co-ZIF) on nickel foams (NF), which is adopted as a precursor (Co-ZIF/NF) to electrodeposit nickel-cobalt sulfides (NCS). The nanosheet arrays with cross-porous structures provide NCS@Co-ZIF/NF with excellent electrochemical characteristics, including a high specific capacity of 144.4 mAh g^?1 at the current density of 1 mA cm^?2, 60.5% capacity retention at 50 mA cm^?2, and superb long-term cycle stability. Furthermore, NCS@Co-ZIF/NF//AC hybrid supercapacitor is fabricated by using NCS@Co-ZIF/NF as positive electrodes and activated carbon (AC) as negative electrodes, which exhibits a high energy density of 33.9 Wh kg^?1 at a power density of 145 W kg^?1.     

Simple synthesis of honeysuckle-like CuCo2O4/CuO composites as a battery type electrode material for high-performance hybrid supercapacitors

In this paper, porous CuCo₂O₄/CuO composites with novel honeysuckle-like shape (CuCo₂O₄/CuO HCs) have been prepared for the first time by a simple hydrothermal method and followed with an additional annealing process in air. The unique CuCo₂O₄/CuO HCs consisted of dense and slender petals with length of 1.3–1.5 μm and width of about 50 nm, and possessed a specific surface area of 36.09 m² g^?1 with main pore size distribution at 10.63 nm. When used as the electrode materials for supercapacitors, the CuCo₂O₄/CuO HCs exhibited excellent electrochemical performances with a high specific capacity of 350.69 C g^?1 at 1 A g^?1, a rate capability of 78.6% at 10 A g^?1, and 96.2% capacity retention after 5000 cycles at a current density of 5 A g^?1. In addition, a hybrid supercapacitor (CuCo₂O₄/CuO HCs//AC HSC) was assembled using the CuCo₂O₄/CuO HCs as positive electrode and activated carbon (AC) as negative electrode. The HSC device delivered a specific capacity of 187.85 C g^?1 at 1 A g^?1 and a superior cycling stability with 104.7% capacity retention after 5000 cycles at 5 A g^?1, and possessed a high energy density of 41.76 W h kg^?1 at a power density of 800.27 W kg^?1. These outstanding electrochemical performances manifested the great potential of CuCo₂O₄/CuO HCs as a promising battery-type electrode material for the next-generation advanced supercapacitors with high-performance.     

Enhanced electrochemical performance of supercapattery derived from sulphur-reduced graphene oxide/cobalt oxide composite and activated carbon from peanut shells

Sulphur-reduced graphene oxide/cobalt oxide composites (RGO-S/Co₃O₄) were successfully synthesized by varying mass loading of Co₃O₄ through a simple hydrothermal method. Structural, morphological, chemical compositional and surface area/pore-size distribution analysis of the materials were obtained by using XRD, Raman spectroscopy, SEM, TEM, EDX, FTIR, XPS and BET techniques, which reveal an effective synthesis of the RGO-S/Co₃O₄ composites. Electrochemical performance of the materials was evaluated using a three- and two-electrode system in 1 M KOH electrolyte. An optimized RGO-S/200 mg Co₃O₄ composite displayed the highest specific capacity of 171.8 mA h g⁻¹ and superior cycling stability of 99.7% for over 5000 cycles at 1 and 5 A g⁻¹, respectively, in a three-electrode system. A fabricated supercapattery device utilizing RGO-S/200 mg Co₃O₄ (positive electrode) and activated carbon from peanut shells (AC-PS) (negative electrode), revealed a high specific energy and power of 45.8 W h kg⁻¹ and 725 W kg⁻¹, respectively, at 1 A g⁻¹. The device retained 83.4% of its initial capacitance for over 10, 000 cycles with a columbic efficiency of 99.5%. Also, a capacitance retention of 71.6% was preserved after being subjected to a voltage holding test of over 150 h at its maximum potential of 1.45 V.