Surfactant effect on energy storage performance of hydrothermally synthesized Ni₃V₂O₈

We report a study to improve the ternary oxide Ni₃V₂O₈'s electrochemical energy storage capabilities through correct surfactanization during hydrothermal synthesis. In this study, Ni₃V₂O₈nanomaterials were synthesized in three different forms: one with a cationic surfactant (CTAB), one with an anionic surfactant (SLS), and one without any surfactant. FESEM study reveals that all the synthesized Ni₃V₂O₈nanomaterials had a small stone-like morphology. The electrochemical study showed that anionic surfactant-assisted Ni₃V₂O₈(NVSLS) had a maximum of 972 F g^-1specific capacitance at 1 A g^-1current density, whereas cationic surfactant-assisted Ni₃V₂O₈(NV_CTAB) had the lowest specific capacitance of 162 F g^-1. The specific capacitance and the capacitance retention of the NV_SLS(85% after 4000 cycles) based electrode was much better than that of the NV_CTAB(76% after 4000 cycles) based electrode. The improved energy storage properties of the NV_SLSelectrode are attributed to its high diffusion coefficient, high surface area, and enriched elemental nickel, as compared to the NV_CTABelectrode. All these excellent electrochemical properties of NV_SLSelectrode indicates their potential usage in asymmetric supercapacitor application.