Facile synthesis of NF/ZnOx and NF/CoOx nanostructures for high performance supercapacitor electrode materials

Abstract

NF/ZnOx nanocone and NF/CoOx nanoparticle electrode materials were fabricated on a nickel foam surface using a simple chemical bath deposition approach and assessed as an electrode material for high-performance supercapacitors (SCs). The electrochemical properties of the NF/ZnOx and NF/CoOx electrodes were examined by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge–discharge tests, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The fabricated NF/ZnOx and NF/CoOx SCs devices exhibited a good specific capacitance of 2437 and 2142 F g⁻¹ at a current density of 20 mA g⁻¹, respectively, in a three electrode system. Furthermore, the NF/ZnOx and NF/CoOx electrode materials showed acceptable long cycle-life stability with 97.8% and 95.8% specific capacitance retention after 3000 cycles at a current density of 22 mA g⁻¹ in a 2 M aqueous KOH solution. Furthermore, the NF/ZnOx and NF/CoOx SCs showed a high energy density of 54.15 W h kg⁻¹ and 47.6 W h kg⁻¹ at a power density of 499.8 W kg⁻¹ and 571.2 W kg⁻¹, respectively, with maximum operating voltage of 0.5 V. Overall, NF/ZnOx and NF/CoOx electrode materials are promising electrodes for electrochemical energy storage applications.