Nanorod-Structured NiCo₂O₄/Moss-Like Ni(OH)₂ Composites with Enhanced Capacitive Performance for Photorechargeable...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Nickel hydroxide (Ni(OH)₂) is a promising supercapacitor material due to its high theoretical capacitance and low cost.
• However, its practical application is hindered by low conductivity, poor ion diffusion, and limited structural stability.
• Developing strategies to overcome these limitations is crucial for advanced energy storage.

Purpose of the Study:

• To engineer the nanostructure of NiCo₂O₄/Ni(OH)₂ composites to enhance capacitive performance.
• To investigate the role of NiCo₂O₄ nanorods and porous Ni(OH)₂ in improving energy storage properties.
• To evaluate the potential of these composites in photorechargeable devices.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of NiCo₂O₄ nanorods with high surface area.
• Growth of porous Ni(OH)₂ on the NiCo₂O₄ framework using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB).
• Electrochemical characterization of the composite electrodes for supercapacitor applications.

Main Results:

• The NiCo₂O₄/Ni(OH)₂ composite electrodes demonstrated a high specific capacitance of 2170.22 F/g at 1 A/g.
• Excellent capacitance retention of 82.3% at 20 A/g and 91.94% after 6000 cycles at 2 A/g was achieved.
• The assembled photorechargeable supercapacitors exhibited a solar-to-electrochemical energy efficiency of 16.21%.

Conclusions:

• Nanostructure engineering of NiCo₂O₄/Ni(OH)₂ composites significantly improves capacitive performance.
• The composite structure enhances conductivity, ion diffusion, and structural stability for supercapacitors.
• This approach offers a viable strategy for developing high-performance photorechargeable energy storage devices.