An advanced electrode for high-performance electrochemical capacitors has been designed by growing ultrathin mesoporous Co3O4 nanosheet arrays on the Ni foam support. This unique 3D electrode manifests exceptional supercapacitive performance with ultrahigh specific capacitance at high current densities and excellent cycling stability.

Growth of ultrathin mesoporous Co3O4 nanosheet arrays on Ni foam for high-performance electrochemical capacitors

We report a facile hydrothermal synthesis method for the large-area growth of self-supported hollow Co3O4 nanowire arrays. The Co3O4 nanowires have an average diameter of 200 nm and grow vertically to the substrates forming aligned nanowire arrays. Interestingly, the as-prepared Co3O4 nanowire arrays combine properties of hollow structure and quasi-single crystallinity. A plausible formation mechanism of hollow Co3O4 nanowire arrays is proposed here. The Co3O4 nanowire arrays grown on the nickel foam are tested as a cathode electrode material for supercapacitor by cyclic voltammograms (CVs) and galvanostatic charge–discharge tests in 1 M KOH. The self-supported hollow Co3O4 nanowire arrays exhibit superior supercapacitor performances with high specific capacitances (599 F g−1 at 2 A g−1 and 439 F g−1 at 40 A g−1) as well as excellent cycle life, making them suitable for high-rate supercapacitor application. The enhanced supercapacitor performances are due to its unique porous structure providing fast ion and electron transfer, large reaction surface area and good strain accommodation.

Self-supported hydrothermal synthesized hollow Co3O4 nanowire arrays with high supercapacitor capacitance

Palladium-Based Nanomaterials: Synthesis and Electrochemical Applications

In situ growth of NiCo2S4 nanotube arrays on Ni foam for supercapacitors: Maximizing utilization efficiency at high mass loading to achieve ultrahigh areal pseudocapacitance

A facile one-step hydrothermal method is developed for large-scale production of well-designed flexible and free-standing Co3O4/reduced graphene oxide (rGO)/carbon nanotubes (CNTs) hybrid paper as an electrode for electrochemical capacitors. Densely packed unique Co3O4 monolayer microsphere arrays uniformly cover the surface of the rGO/CNTs film. The alkaline hydrothermal treatment leads to not only the deposition of Co3O4 microspheres array, but also the reduction of the GO sheets at the same time. The unique hybrid paper is evaluated as an electrode for electrochemical capacitors without any ancillary materials. It is found that the obtained hybrid flexible paper, composed of Co3O4 microsphere array anchored to the underling conductive rGO/CNTs substrate with robust adhesion, is able to deliver high specific capacitance with excellent electrochemical stability even at high current densities, suggesting its promising application as an efficient electrode material for electrochemical capacitors.

Flexible Hybrid Paper Made of Monolayer Co3O4 Microsphere Arrays on rGO/CNTs and Their Application in Electrochemical Capacitors

Ni foam supported-Co3O4 nanowire arrays are prepared by a template-free growth method, followed by a thermal treatment in air, and are characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis. The Co3O4 nanowires have a diameter of about 250 nm, a length up to 15 μm, and a Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area of 78.4 m2 g−1. They grow almost vertically from the surface of Ni foam skeleton, pack densely, and uniformly cover the entire surface of Ni foam skeleton. Electroreduction of H2O2 on Co3O4 nanowire arrays in alkaline medium is investigated by cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The Co3O4 nanowire electrode exhibits superior activity, stability, and mass transport property for H2O2 electroreduction. A current density of 90 mA cm−2 is achieved at −0.4 V in 0.4 mol dm−3 H2O2 and 3.0 mol dm−3 NaOH at room temperature. The per gram current...

Wang Guiling

Papers

Nickel Foam Supported-Co3O4 Nanowire Arrays for H2O2 Electroreduction

Direct peroxide–peroxide fuel cell – Part 1: The anode and cathode catalyst of carbon fiber cloth supported dendritic Pd

Three-dimensional carbon- and binder-free nickel nanowire arrays as a high-performance and low-cost anode for direct hydrogen peroxide fuel cell

Enhancement of electrocatalytic performance of hydrogen storage alloys by multi-walled carbon nanotubes for sodium borohydride oxidation

Simple fabrication of pineapple root-like palladium-gold catalysts as the high-efficiency cathode in direct peroxide-peroxide fuel cells.