Facile synthesis of honeycomb-structured Co-W-B composite for high-performance supercapacitors

A honeycomb-structured Co-W-B composite was prepared by a simple chemical reduction process in an alcohol solution. The structure and morphology of the Co-W-B composite was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The results indicate that the composite was mainly composed of oxides of Co, W, and B as a result of oxidation in air, and it was a suitable material for high-performance pseudocapacitors. Electrochemical tests indicated that the Co-W-B composite exhibited a specific capacitance of 306.3 F g(-1) at a current density of 2 A g(-1), which is much higher than that of a Co-B composite. Furthermore, the Co-W-B composite showed good stability, and the capacitance retained 89.2% of its initial capacitance after 2500 cycles. These results demonstrate that the honeycomb-structured Co-W-B composite is promising for use as an electrode material for supercapacitors. (C) 2017 Elsevier By. All rights reserved.