Ni(OH)₂ and NiO Based Composites: Battery Type Electrode Materials for Hybrid Supercapacitor Devices

Nanocomposites of Ni(OH)₂ or NiO have successfully been used in electrodes in the last five years, but they have been falsely presented as pseudocapacitive electrodes for electrochemical capacitors and hybrid devices. Indeed, these nickel oxide or hydroxide electrodes are pure battery-type electrodes which store charges through faradaic processes as can be shown by cyclic voltammograms or constant current galvanostatic charge/discharge plots. Despite this misunderstanding, such electrodes can be of interest as positive electrodes in hybrid supercapacitors operating under KOH electrolyte, together with an activated carbon-negative electrode. This study indicates the requirements for the implementation of Ni(OH)₂-based electrodes in hybrid designs and the improvements that are necessary in order to increase the energy and power densities of such devices. Mass loading is the key parameter which must be above 10 mg·cm⁻² to correctly evaluate the performance of Ni(OH)₂ or NiO-based nanocomposite electrodes and provide gravimetric capacity values. With such loadings, rate capability, capacity, cycling ability, energy and power densities can be accurately evaluated. Among the 80 papers analyzed in this study, there are indications that such nanocomposite electrode can successfully improve the performance of standard Ni(OH)₂ (+)//6 M KOH//activated carbon (−) hybrid supercapacitor.