Hydrothermal synthesis of Ni3S2/graphene electrode and its application in a supercapacitor

Abstract

In this work, we demonstrate a simple hydrothermal synthesis of nickel sulfide/graphene nanosheets (Ni₃S₂/GNS) and use the nanocomposite as an electrode for a supercapacitor. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy were used to investigate the morphologies and microstructures of the resulting electrode materials. Detailed electrochemical characterization shows that the Ni₃S₂/GNS electrode exhibits high specific capacitance of about 1420 F g⁻¹ at a current density of 2 A g⁻¹. At a current density of 6 A g⁻¹, the specific capacitance of the Ni₃S₂/GNS electrode remains fairly constant at the initial value over 2000 cycles, obviously illustrating a relatively high cycling stability. The outstanding electrochemical properties of the Ni₃S₂/GNS nanocomposite suggest that it has great potential for practical applications in high-performance supercapacitors.