Issue 20, 2014

Great improvement in pseudocapacitor properties of nickel hydroxide via simple gold deposition

Abstract

In this letter, we report a facile approach to improve the capacitor properties of nickel hydroxide (Ni(OH)2) by simply coating gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) on the surface of Ni(OH)2. Au NP-deposited Ni(OH)2 (Au/Ni(OH)2) has been prepared by application of a conventional colloidal coating of Au NPs on the surface of 3D-Ni(OH)2 synthesized via a hydrothermal method. Compared with pristine Ni(OH)2, Au/Ni(OH)2 shows a 41% enhanced capacitance value, excellent rate capacitance behavior at high current density conditions, and greatly improved cycling stability for supercapacitor applications. The specific capacitance of Au/Ni(OH)2 reached 1927 F g−1 at 1 A g−1, which is close to the theoretical capacitance and retained 66% and 80% of the maximum value at a high current density of 20 A g−1 and 5000 cycles while that of pristine Ni(OH)2 was 1363 F g−1 and significantly decreased to 48% and 30%, respectively, under the same conditions. The outstanding performance of Au/Ni(OH)2 as a supercapacitor is attributed to the presence of metal Au NPs on the surface of semiconductor Ni(OH)2; this permits the creation of virtual 3D conducting networks via metal/semiconductor contact, which induces fast electron and ion transport by acting as a bridge between Ni(OH)2 nanostructures, thus eventually leading to significantly improved electrochemical capacitive behaviors, as confirmed by the EIS and IV characteristic data.

Graphical abstract: Great improvement in pseudocapacitor properties of nickel hydroxide via simple gold deposition

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
24 Apr 2014
Accepted
03 Aug 2014
First published
05 Aug 2014

Nanoscale, 2014,6, 11646-11652

Great improvement in pseudocapacitor properties of nickel hydroxide via simple gold deposition

S. Kim, P. Thiyagarajan and J. Jang, Nanoscale, 2014, 6, 11646 DOI: 10.1039/C4NR02204A

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