Facile preparation of transition metal oxide–metal composites with unique nanostructures and their electrochemical performance as energy storage material

Abstract

In this work, a facile method for the preparation of a series of transition metal oxide–metal nanocomposites (MO–M) (such as NiO–Ni, Co₃O₄–Co, Fe₃O₄–Fe and MnO₂–Mn) anchored on conductive nanowire arrays (such as TiC–C core–shell nanowires grown on a Ti alloy sheet) is reported for the first time. The obtained composites possess a unique three-dimensional nanostructure and high electronic conductivity. They have diverse applications as electrodes of energy storage devices. High capacitance and high rate capability have been demonstrated using the NiO–Ni@C@TiC nanocomposite as a model electrode, which shows a specific capacitance as high as 1845 F g⁻¹ at a charge–discharge current density of 5 A g⁻¹ and 811.1 F g⁻¹ after cycling 500 times at an extremely high charge–discharge rate of 100 A g⁻¹.