Rational design of sandwich-like exfoliated nickel hydroxide–carbon nanotubes as a novel electrode for supercapacitors

Abstract

A composite of nickel hydroxide–carbon nanotubes (Ni(OH)₂–CNTs) was successfully fabricated as an electrode material for supercapacitors. The Ni(OH)₂–CNTs nanocomposite was synthesized by the preparation of layered Ni(OH)₂ followed by exfoliation in formamide solution, which was then combined with CNTs through an electrostatic assembly method. The structure can not only expand the area of contact of electrolyte ions but could also highly improve the conductivity. During this period, methods such as XRD, SEM and TEM revealed the structure and morphology of the product. The as-prepared Ni(OH)₂–CNTs composite exhibits a high specific capacitance of 865.79 F g⁻¹ and good cycling stability over 3000 cycles. The product is expected to become an ideal electrode material for a supercapacitor.