Lithium-ion capacitors (LICs) have been widely explored for energy storage. Nevertheless, achieving good energy density, satisfactory power density, and stable cycle life is still challenging. For this study, we fabricated a novel LIC with a NiO-rGO composite as a negative material and commercial activated carbon (AC) as a positive material for energy storage. The NiO-rGO//AC system utilizes NiO nanoparticles uniformly distributed in rGO to achieve a high specific capacity (with a current density of 0.5 A g-1 and a charge capacity of 945.8 mA h g-1) and uses AC to provide a large specific surface area and adjustable pore structure, thereby achieving excellent electrochemical performance. In detail, the NiO-rGO//AC system (with a mass ratio of 1:3) can achieve a high energy density (98.15 W h kg-1), a high power density (10.94 kW kg-1), and a long cycle life (with 72.1% capacity retention after 10,000 cycles). This study outlines a new option for the manufacture of LIC devices that feature both high energy and high power densities.
Keywords: NiO-rGO composite; energy density; lithium-ion capacitors; power density.