Preparation of NiAl double hydroxide@polypyrrole materials for high‐performance supercapacitors

A novel NiAl double hydroxide@polypyrrole (LDH@PPy) core–shell material was designed and fabricated by a facile in situ oxidative polymerization of pyrrole (Py) monomer. The microstructure and morphology of the LDH@PPy composites were determined by X‐ray diffractometer, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy/transmission electron microscopy, and thermogravimetric and differential thermal, revealing that the polypyrrole (PPy) was successfully coated onto the surface of the NiAl‐LDH (LDH) core and the loading amount of PPy impacted the thickness and the dispersion of the conductive PPy shell. The electrochemical performances of the LDH@PPy composites were also evaluated by cyclic voltammogram, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and galvanostatic charge–discharge measurements. The results indicated that the supercapacitor performances were attributed to the synergy of unique core–shell heterostructure and each individual component, where the LDH core provided the high‐energy storage capacity and the PPy shell with networks had high electronic conductivity. These shorted the ion diffusion pathway and made electrolyte ions more easily accessible for faradic reactions to enhance the electrochemical performance of the LDH@PPy composites. It was found that the LDH@PPy composite (LDH@PPy₇) fabricated at 7 mL?L^?1 of Py monomer feed exhibiting the best electrochemical performances with high specific capacitance of 437.5 F?g^?1 at 2 A?g^?1 and excellent capacitance retention of about 91% after 1000 cycles. The work provides a simple approach for designing organic–inorganic core–shell materials with potential application in supercapacitors. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2019 , 57, 1653–1662     

Polypyrrole Shell@3D‐Ni Metal Core Structured Electrodes for High‐Performance Supercapacitors

Three‐dimensional (3D) nanometal films serving as current collectors have attracted much interest recently owing to their promising application in high‐performance supercapacitors. In the process of the electrochemical reaction, the 3D structure can provide a short diffusion path for fast ion transport, and the highly conductive nanometal may serve as a backbone for facile electron transfer. In this work, a novel polypyrrole (PPy) shell@3D‐Ni‐core composite is developed to enhance the electrochemical performance of conventional PPy. With the introduction of a Ni metal core, the as‐prepared material exhibits a high specific capacitance (726 F g^?1 at a charge/discharge rate of 1 A g^?1), good rate capability (a decay of 33 % in C_sp with charge/discharge rates increasing from 1 to 20 A g^?1), and high cycle stability (only a small decrease of 4.2 % in C_sp after 1000 cycles at a scan rate of 100 mV s^?1). Furthermore, an aqueous symmetric supercapacitor device is fabricated by using the as‐prepared composite as electrodes; the device demonstrates a high energy density (≈21.2 Wh kg^?1) and superior long‐term cycle ability (only 4.4 % and 18.6 % loss in C_sp after 2000 and 5000 cycles, respectively).     

Core‐Shell Structured Cobalt Sulfide/Cobalt Aluminum Hydroxide Nanosheet Arrays for Pseudocapacitor Application

The direct synthesis of nanostructured electrode materials on three‐dimensional substrates is important for their practical application in electrochemical cells without requiring the use of organic additives or binders. In this study, we present a simple two‐step process to synthesize a stable core–shell structured cobalt sulfide/cobalt aluminum hydroxide nanosheet (LDH‐S) for pseudocapacitor electrode application. The cobalt aluminum layered double hydroxide (CoAl‐LDH) nanoplates were synthesized in basic aqueous solution with a kinetically‐controlled thickness. Owing to the facile diffusion of electrolytes through the nanoplates, thin CoAl‐LDH nanoplates have higher specific capacitance values than thick nanoplates. The as‐grown CoAl‐LDH nanoplates were transformed into core–shell structured LDH‐S nanosheets by a surface modification process in Na₂S aqueous solution. The chemically robust cobalt sulfide (CoS) shell increased the electrochemical stability compared to the sulfide‐free CoAl‐LDH electrodes. The LDH‐S electrodes exhibited high electrochemical performance in terms of specific capacitance and rate capability with a galvanostatic discharge of 1503 F g^?1 at a current density of 2 A g^?1 and a specific capacitance of 91 % at 50 A g^?1.     

Core–Shell Carbon‐Coated CuO Nanocomposites: A Highly Stable Electrode Material for Supercapacitors and Lithium‐Ion Batteries

Herein we present a simple method for fabricating core–shell mesostructured CuO@C nanocomposites by utilizing humic acid (HA) as a biomass carbon source. The electrochemical performances of CuO@C nanocomposites were evaluated as an electrode material for supercapacitors and lithium‐ion batteries. CuO@C exhibits an excellent capacitance of 207.2 F g^?1 at a current density of 1 A g^?1 within a potential window of 0–0.46 V in 6 M KOH solution. Significantly, CuO electrode materials achieve remarkable capacitance retentions of approximately 205.8 F g^?1 after 1000 cycles of charge/discharge testing. The CuO@C was further applied as an anode material for lithium‐ion batteries, and a high initial capacity of 1143.7 mA h g^?1 was achieved at a current density of 0.1 C. This work provides a facile and general approach to synthesize carbon‐based materials for application in large‐scale energy‐storage systems.     

A Hollow Microtubular Triazine‐ and Benzobisoxazole‐Based Covalent Organic Framework Presenting Sponge‐Like Shells That Functions as a High‐Performance Supercapacitor

In this paper we report the construction of a hollow microtubular triazine‐ and benzobisoxazole‐based covalent organic framework (COF) presenting a sponge‐like shell through a template‐free [3+2] condensation of the planar molecules 2,4,6‐tris(4‐formylphenyl)triazine (TPT‐3CHO) and 2,5‐diaminohydroquinone dihydrochloride (DAHQ‐2HCl). The synthesized COF exhibited extremely high crystallinity, a high surface area (ca. 1855 m² g^?1), and ultrahigh thermal stability. Interestingly, a time‐dependent study of the formation of the hollow microtubular COF having a sponge‐like shell revealed a transformation from initial ribbon‐like crystallites into a hollow tubular structure, and confirmed that the hollow nature of the synthesized COF was controlled by inside‐out Ostwald ripening, while the non‐interaction of the crystallites on the outer surface was responsible for the sponge‐like surface of the tubules. This COF exhibited significant supercapacitor performance: a high specific capacitance of 256 F g^?1 at a current density of 0.5 A g^?1, excellent cycling stability (98.8 % capacitance retention over 1850 cycles), and a high energy density of 43 Wh kg^?1. Such hollow structural COFs with sponge‐like shells appear to have great potential for use as high‐performance supercapacitors in energy storage applications.     

Facilely prepared polypyrrole-graphene oxide-sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate nanocomposites by in situ emulsion polymerization for high-performance supercapacitor electrodes

The layered polypyrrole-graphene oxide-sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (PPyGO-SDBS) nanocomposites were facilely fabricated via an in situ emulsion polymerization method with the assistance of SDBS as dopant and stabilizer. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and electrochemical performance were employed to analyze the structure and the characteristics of the composites. The results showed that SDBS played an important role in improving the electrochemical performance of the PPyGO-SDBS, by dispersing the PPy between the layers of the GO. The obtained PPyGO-SDBS exhibited remarkable performance as an electrode material for supercapacitors, with a specific capacitance as high as 483 F g^?1 at a current density of 0.2 A g^?1 when the mass ratio of pyrrole to GO was 80:20. The attenuation of the specific capacitance was less than 20 % after 1,000 charge–discharge processes, supporting the idea that PPy inserted successfully into the GO interlayers. The excellent electrochemical performance seemed to arise from the synergistic effect between the PPy and the GO and the dispersion of the PPy induced by SDBS.     

Strong and Robust Polyaniline‐Based Supramolecular Hydrogels for Flexible Supercapacitors

We report a supramolecular strategy to prepare conductive hydrogels with outstanding mechanical and electrochemical properties, which are utilized for flexible solid‐state supercapacitors (SCs) with high performance. The supramolecular assembly of polyaniline and polyvinyl alcohol through dynamic boronate bond yields the polyaniline–polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel (PPH), which shows remarkable tensile strength (5.3 MPa) and electrochemical capacitance (928 F g^?1). The flexible solid‐state supercapacitor based on PPH provides a large capacitance (306 mF cm^?2 and 153 F g^?1) and a high energy density of 13.6 Wh kg^?1, superior to other flexible supercapacitors. The robustness of the PPH‐based supercapacitor is demonstrated by the 100 % capacitance retention after 1000 mechanical folding cycles, and the 90 % capacitance retention after 1000 galvanostatic charge–discharge cycles. The high activity and robustness enable the PPH‐based supercapacitor as a promising power device for flexible electronics.     

聚吡咯/海藻酸钠纳米球的制备及其应用于高性能超级电容器

用海藻酸钠作为结构导向剂,通过原位氧化聚合吡咯法制备了聚吡咯/海藻酸钠(PPy/SA)纳米球.聚吡咯/海藻酸钠纳米球的形貌和结构通过扫描电镜(SEM)、X射线衍射(XRD)和傅里叶变换红外(FTIR)光谱进行表征.材料的电化学性能通过循环伏安法和恒电流充放电方法进行测试.电化学测试表明,聚吡咯/海藻酸钠纳米球在1 mol L-1KCl电解液中,电流密度为1 A g-1时其比电容高达347 F g-1.与纯聚吡咯相比较,聚吡咯/海藻酸钠纳米球具有更优异的循环稳定性能.     

Rational Design of Ni Nanoparticles on N‐Rich Ultrathin Carbon Nanosheets for High‐Performance Supercapacitor Materials: Embedded‐ Versus Anchored‐Type Dispersion

Highly dispersed Ni nanoparticles (NPs) and abundant functional N‐species were integrated into ultrathin carbon nanosheets by using a facile and economical sol–gel route. Embedded‐ and anchored‐type configurations were achieved for the dispersion of Ni NPs in/on N‐rich carbon nanosheets. The anchored‐type composite exhibited outstanding pseudocapacitance of 2200 F g^?1 at 5 A g^?1 with unusual rate capability and extraordinary cyclic stability over 20 000 cycles with little capacitance decay. Aqueous asymmetric supercapacitors fabricated with this composite cathode demonstrated a high energy density of 51.3 Wh kg^?1 at a relatively large power density of 421.6 W kg^?1, along with outstanding cyclic stability. This approach opens an attractive direction for enhancing the electrochemical performances of metal‐based supercapacitors and can be generalized to design high‐performance energy‐storage devices.     

A Microwave Synthesis of Mesoporous NiCo2O4 Nanosheets as Electrode Materials for Lithium‐Ion Batteries and Supercapacitors

A facile microwave method was employed to synthesize NiCo₂O₄ nanosheets as electrode materials for lithium‐ion batteries and supercapacitors. The structure and morphology of the materials were characterized by X‐ray diffraction, field‐emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller methods. Owing to the porous nanosheet structure, the NiCo₂O₄ electrodes exhibited a high reversible capacity of 891 mA h g^?1 at a current density of 100 mA g^?1, good rate capability and stable cycling performance. When used as electrode materials for supercapacitors, NiCo₂O₄ nanosheets demonstrated a specific capacitance of 400 F g^?1 at a current density of 20 A g^?1 and superior cycling stability over 5000 cycles. The excellent electrochemical performance could be ascribed to the thin porous structure of the nanosheets, which provides a high specific surface area to increase the electrode–electrolyte contact area and facilitate rapid ion transport.     

Porous Nitrogen‐Doped Carbon Nanotubes Derived from Tubular Polypyrrole for Energy‐Storage Applications

Porous nitrogen‐doped carbon nanotubes (PNCNTs) with a high specific surface area (1765 m² g^?1) and a large pore volume (1.28 cm³ g^?1) have been synthesized from a tubular polypyrrole (T‐PPY). The inner diameter and wall thickness of the PNCNTs are about 55 nm and 22 nm, respectively. This material shows extremely promising properties for both supercapacitors and for encapsulating sulfur as a superior cathode material for high‐performance lithium–sulfur (Li‐S) batteries. At a current density of 0.5 A g^?1, PNCNT presents a high specific capacitance of 210 F g^?1, as well as excellent cycling stability at a current density of 2 A g^?1. When the S/PNCNT composite was tested as the cathode material for Li‐S batteries, the initial discharge capacity was 1341 mAh g^?1 at a current rate of 1 C and, even after 50 cycles at the same rate, the high reversible capacity was retained at 933 mAh g^?1. The promising electrochemical energy‐storage performance of the PNCNTs can be attributed to their excellent conductivity, large surface area, nitrogen doping, and unique pore‐size distribution.     

Design of Advanced MnO/N‐Gr 3D Walls through Polymer Cross‐Linking for High‐Performance Supercapacitor

Three‐dimensional, vertically aligned MnO/nitrogen‐doped graphene (3D MnO/N‐Gr) walls were prepared through facile solution‐phase synthesis followed by thermal treatment. Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) was strategically added to generate cross‐links to simultaneously form 3D wall structures and to incorporate nitrogen atoms into the graphene network. The unique wall features of the as‐prepared 3D MnO/N‐Gr hybirdes provide a large surface area (91.516 m² g^?1) and allow for rapid diffusion of the ion electrolyte, resulting in a high specific capacitance of 378 F g^?1 at 0.25 A g^?1 and an excellent charge/discharge stability (93.7 % capacity retention after 8000 cycles) in aqueous 1 m Na₂SO₄ solution as electrolyte. Moreover, the symmetric supercapacitors that were rationally designed by using 3D MnO/N‐Gr hybrids exhibit outstanding electrochemical performance in an organic electrolyte with an energy density of 90.6 Wh kg^?1 and a power density of 437.5 W kg^?1.     

A Core–Shell Fe/Fe2O3 Nanowire as a High‐Performance Anode Material for Lithium‐Ion Batteries

The preparation of novel one‐dimensional core–shell Fe/Fe₂O₃ nanowires as anodes for high‐performance lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) is reported. The nanowires are prepared in a facile synthetic process in aqueous solution under ambient conditions with subsequent annealing treatment that could tune the capacity for lithium storage. When this hybrid is used as an anode material for LIBs, the outer Fe₂O₃ shell can act as an electrochemically active material to store and release lithium ions, whereas the highly conductive and inactive Fe core functions as nothing more than an efficient electrical conducting pathway and a remarkable buffer to tolerate volume changes of the electrode materials during the insertion and extraction of lithium ions. The core–shell Fe/Fe₂O₃ nanowire maintains an excellent reversible capacity of over 767 mA h g^?1 at 500 mA g^?1 after 200 cycles with a high average Coulombic efficiency of 98.6 %. Even at 2000 mA g^?1, a stable capacity as high as 538 mA h g^?1 could be obtained. The unique composition and nanostructure of this electrode material contribute to this enhanced electrochemical performance. Due to the ease of large‐scale fabrication and superior electrochemical performance, these hybrid nanowires are promising anode materials for the next generation of high‐performance LIBs.     

General Formation of MxCo3−xS4 (M=Ni,Mn, Zn) Hollow Tubular Structures for Hybrid Supercapacitors

A simple and versatile method for general synthesis of uniform one‐dimensional (1D) M_xCo_3?xS₄ (M=Ni, Mn, Zn) hollow tubular structures (HTSs), using soft polymeric nanofibers as a template, is described. Fibrous core–shell polymer@M‐Co acetate hydroxide precursors with a controllable molar ratio of M/Co are first prepared, followed by a sulfidation process to obtain core–shell polymer@M_xCo_3?xS₄ composite nanofibers. The as‐made M_xCo_3?xS₄ HTSs have a high surface area and exhibit exceptional electrochemical performance as electrode materials for hybrid supercapacitors. For example, the MnCo₂S₄ HTS electrode can deliver specific capacitance of 1094 F g^?1 at 10 A g^?1, and the cycling stability is remarkable, with only about 6 % loss over 20 000 cycles.     

Boron‐Doped,Carbon‐Coated SnO2/Graphene Nanosheets for Enhanced Lithium Storage

Heteroatom doping is an effective method to adjust the electrochemical behavior of carbonaceous materials. In this work, boron‐doped, carbon‐coated SnO₂/graphene hybrids (BCTGs) were fabricated by hydrothermal carbonization of sucrose in the presence of SnO₂/graphene nanosheets and phenylboronic acid or boric acid as dopant source and subsequent thermal treatment. Owing to their unique 2D core–shell architecture and B‐doped carbon shells, BCTGs have enhanced conductivity and extra active sites for lithium storage. With phenylboronic acid as B source, the resulting hybrid shows outstanding electrochemical performance as the anode in lithium‐ion batteries with a highly stable capacity of 1165 mA h g^?1 at 0.1 A g^?1 after 360 cycles and an excellent rate capability of 600 mA h g^?1 at 3.2 A g^?1, and thus outperforms most of the previously reported SnO₂‐based anode materials.     

Conductive Microporous Covalent Triazine‐Based Framework for High‐Performance Electrochemical Capacitive Energy Storage

Nitrogen‐enriched porous nanocarbon, graphene, and conductive polymers attract increasing attention for application in supercapacitors. However, electrode materials with a large specific surface area (SSA) and a high nitrogen doping concentration, which is needed for excellent supercapacitors, has not been achieved thus far. Herein, we developed a class of tetracyanoquinodimethane‐derived conductive microporous covalent triazine‐based frameworks (TCNQ‐CTFs) with both high nitrogen content (>8 %) and large SSA (>3600 m² g^?1). These CTFs exhibited excellent specific capacitances with the highest value exceeding 380 F g^?1, considerable energy density of 42.8 Wh kg^?1, and remarkable cycling stability without any capacitance degradation after 10 000 cycles. This class of CTFs should hold a great potential as high‐performance electrode material for electrochemical energy‐storage systems.     

Constructing Hierarchical Tectorum‐like α‐Fe2O3/PPy Nanoarrays on Carbon Cloth for Solid‐State Asymmetric Supercapacitors

The design of complex heterostructured electrode materials that deliver superior electrochemical performances to their individual counterparts has stimulated intensive research on configuring supercapacitors with high energy and power densities. Herein we fabricate hierarchical tectorum‐like α‐Fe₂O₃/polypyrrole (PPy) nanoarrays (T‐Fe₂O₃/PPy NAs). The 3D, and interconnected T‐Fe₂O₃/PPy NAs are successfully grown on conductive carbon cloth through an easy self‐sacrificing template and in situ vapor‐phase polymerization route under mild conditions. The electrode made of the T‐Fe₂O₃/PPy NAs exhibits a high areal capacitance of 382.4 mF cm⁻² at a current density of 0.5 mA cm⁻² and excellent reversibility. The solid‐state asymmetric supercapacitor consisting of T‐Fe₂O₃/PPy NAs and MnO₂ electrodes achieves a high energy density of 0.22 mWh cm⁻³ at a power density of 165.6 mW cm⁻³.     

KOH‐Activated Porous Carbons Derived from Chestnut Shell with Superior Capacitive Performance

Porous carbons (PC) were prepared from a waste biomass named chestnut shell via a two‐step method involving carbonization and KOH activation. The morphology, pore structure and surface chemical properties were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), N₂ sorption, Raman spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The carbons have been evaluated as the electrode materials for supercapacitors by a two‐electrode system in 6 mol/L KOH electrolyte. Benefiting from the porous texture, high surface area and high oxygen content, the PCs derived from chestnut shell have exhibited high specific capacitance of 198.2 (PC‐1), 217.2 (PC‐2) and 238.2 F·g^?1 (PC‐3) at a current density of 0.1 A·g^?1, good rate capability of 55.7%, 56.6% and 54.9% in a range of 0.1–20 A·g^?1 and high energy density of 5.6, 6.1 and 6.7 Wh·kg^?1, respectively. This is believed to be due to electric double layer capacitance induced by the abundant micropores and extra pseudo‐capacitance generated by oxygen‐containing groups. At a power density of 9000 Wh·kg^?1, the energy density is 3.1, 3.5 and 3.7 Wh·kg^?1 for PC‐1, PC‐2 and PC‐3, respectively, demonstrating the potential of the carbons derived from chestnut shells in energy storage devices.     

Hierarchical ZnCo2O4@NiCo2O4 Core–Sheath Nanowires: Bifunctionality towards High‐Performance Supercapacitors and the Oxygen‐Reduction Reaction

Increasing energy demands and worsening environmental issues have stimulated intense research on alternative energy storage and conversion systems including supercapacitors and fuel cells. Here, a rationally designed hierarchical structure of ZnCo₂O₄@NiCo₂O₄ core–sheath nanowires synthesized through facile electrospinning combined with a simple co‐precipitation method is proposed. The obtained core–sheath nanostructures consisting of mesoporous ZnCo₂O₄ nanowires as the core and uniformly distributed ultrathin NiCo₂O₄ nanosheets as the sheath, exhibit excellent electrochemical activity as bifunctional materials for supercapacitor electrodes and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts. Compared with the single component of either ZnCo₂O₄ nanowires or NiCo₂O₄ nanosheets, the hierarchical ZnCo₂O₄@NiCo₂O₄ core–sheath nanowires demonstrate higher specific capacitance of 1476 F g^?1 (1 A g^?1) and better rate capability of 942 F g^?1 (20 A g^?1), while maintaining 98.9 % capacity after 2000 cycles at 10 A g^?1. Meanwhile, the ZnCo₂O₄@NiCo₂O₄ core–sheath nanowires reveal comparable catalytic activity but superior stability and methanol tolerance over Pt/C as ORR catalyst. The impressive performance may originate from the unique hierarchical core–sheath structures that greatly facilitate enhanced reactivity, and faster ion and electron transfer.     

Excellent Capacitive Performance of a Three‐Dimensional Hierarchical Porous Graphene/Carbon Composite with a Superhigh Surface Area

Three‐dimensional hierarchical porous graphene/carbon composite was successfully synthesized from a solution of graphene oxide and a phenolic resin by using a facile and efficient method. The morphology, structure, and surface property of the composite were investigated intensively by a variety of means such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), N₂ adsorption, Raman spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). It is found that graphene serves as a scaffold to form a hierarchical pore texture in the composite, resulting in its superhigh surface area of 2034 m²g^?1, thin macropore wall, and high conductivity (152 S m^?1). As evidenced by electrochemical measurements in both EMImBF₄ ionic liquid and KOH electrolyte, the composite exhibits ideal capacitive behavior, high capacitance, and excellent rate performance due to its unique structure. In EMImBF₄, the composite has a high energy density of up to 50.1 Wh kg^?1 and also possesses quite stable cycling stability at 100 °C, suggesting its promising application in high‐temperature supercapacitors. In KOH electrolyte, the specific capacitance of this composite can reach up to an unprecedented value of 186.5 F g^?1, even at a very high current density of 50 A g^?1, suggesting its prosperous application in high‐power applications.