Ultrathin mesoporous NiCo2O4 nanosheets supported on Ni foam as advanced electrodes for supercapacitors

Abstract

A facile two-step method is developed for large-scale growth of ultrathin mesoporous nickel cobaltite (NiCo2O4) nanosheets on conductive nickel foam with robust adhesion as a high-performance electrode for electrochemical capacitors. The synthesis involves the co-electrodeposition of a bimetallic (Ni, Co) hydroxide precursor on a Ni foam support and subsequent thermal transformation to spinel mesoporous NiCo2O4. The as-prepared ultrathin NiCo2O4 nanosheets with the thickness of a few nanometers possess many interparticle mesopores with a size range from 2 to 5 nm. The nickel foam supported ultrathin mesoporous NiCo2O4 nanosheets promise fast electron and ion transport, large electroactive surface area, and excellent structural stability. As a result, superior pseudocapacitive performance is achieved with an ultrahigh specific capacitance of 1450 F g−1, even at a very high current density of 20 A g−1, and excellent cycling performance at high rates, suggesting its promising application as an efficient electrode for electrochemical capacitors.