Modification of calcination temperature of NiO/C nanocomposite electrode materials for supercapacitor application

Abstract

Synthesizing metal oxide nanomaterials for energy storage applications and optimizing their electrochemical performance is critical for developing next generation energy solutions. In this study, nickel hydroxide nanomaterials were synthesized via precipitation and microwave methods and utilized as pseudo-capacitor electrodes. The precipitation method employing starch as a capping agent yielded nickel hydroxide exhibiting a maximum specific capacitance of 333 Fg-1. The nickel hydroxide can be converted to nickel oxide/carbon (NiO/C) by calcination at higher temperatures. Electrochemical supercapacitor performance of NiO/C synthesized at different calcination temperatures (400, 500, 600 °C) was optimized. NiO/C calcined at 500 °C exhibits a maximum specific capacitance value of 450 Fg-1 at a scan rate of 5 mV.s-1. To determine the structural properties XRD technique was used. The identification of functional groups in synthesized nanomaterials was investigated by the FTIR technique. FESEM was employed to examine the morphological analysis of synthesized nanomaterials. Elemental composition in synthesized materials was examined by using the EDS. The electrochemical potential was studied by using CV, GCD, and EIS techniques.