Facile synthesis of Ni(OH)2 nanoarrays on graphene@carbon fabric as dual-functional electrochemical materials for supercapacitors and capacitive desalination

Xin Liu; Shi Du; Xiaofan Zuo; Xin Zhang; Yu Jiang

doi:10.1039/d1ra07633g

Facile synthesis of Ni(OH)₂ nanoarrays on graphene@carbon fabric as dual-functional electrochemical materials for supercapacitors and capacitive desalination

RSC Adv. 2022 Jan 5;12(2):1177-1183. doi: 10.1039/d1ra07633g. eCollection 2021 Dec 22.

Authors

Xin Liu¹, Shi Du¹, Xiaofan Zuo¹, Xin Zhang^{2

3}, Yu Jiang⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Environmental Engineering, College of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University Nanjing 210037 P. R. China.
² College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 101408 China xzhang@ucas.ac.cn +86-10-69672964.
³ Yanshan Earth Critical Zone and Surface Fluxes Research Station, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 101408 China.
⁴ Jiangsu Provincial Ecological Assessment Center (Jiangsu Provincial Management Center for Emissions Registration and Exchange) Nanjing 210036 P. R. China.

Abstract

A high-performance Ni(OH)₂ nanoarray on graphene (RGO)@carbon fabric nanocomposites with hierarchical nanostructures were facilely synthesized, which involves (i) coating of graphene on a carbon fabric; and (ii) in situ growth of Ni(OH)₂ nanoarray on the graphene surface. It was found that Ni(OH)₂ nanoplates grew evenly on the surface of graphene without stacking. This unique structure of the electrode material favors a higher electrochemical active site, endowing the enhancing capacity performance. The morphology and microstructure of the as-prepared composites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. Capacitive properties of the as-synthesized electrodes were studied via cyclic voltammetry, charge/discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in a three-electrode experimental setup. Taking advantage of the unique structure of Ni(OH)₂/RGO@carbon fabric nanocomposites, this material as dual-functional electrodes shows decent performance for both supercapacitors and capacitive desalination (CDI). The specific capacitance was calculated to be 1325 F g^-1 at 1 A g^-1; moreover, this material shows a high rate capability, whereby the capacitance can be maintained at 612 F g^-1 even at 10 A g^-1. Besides, its performance as potential CDI electrodes was explored. Such high-performance Ni(OH)₂/RGO@carbon fabric hierarchical nanostructures can offer great promise in large-scale energy storage device applications.