High-performance electrode materials for supercapacitor applications using Ni-catalyzed carbon nanostructures derived from biomass waste materials

Herein, nanostructured nickel metal, oxide, and oxyhydroxides have been successfully grown on various types of carbon nanostructures (CNS) via a simple, low cost and eco-friendly route derived from biomass waste materials. Nickel oxide and oxyhydroxide phases could be detected in the roasted precursor materials before pyrolysis as confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images showed that these samples were composed mainly of porous amorphous carbon nanostructures. Whereas nickel-metal and nickel oxyhydroxide were the predominant detected phases after pyrolysis in addition to the graphite and carbon phases in the form of carbon nanotubes as confirmed by XRD analysis and TEM investigation, respectively. These composites were explored as potential electrodes for supercapacitor application delivering satisfactory specific capacitance values beside its remarkable charge/discharge reversibility. Among them, the formed porous amorphous carbon nanostructure sample decorated with NiO species displayed the highest capacitive performance. This sample delivered a specific capacitance of 508 F g(-1) at 1 A g(-1). Moreover, the cycling stability behavior of this sample at 5 A g(-1) delivered 78% of its initial capacity after 3000 GCD cycles. The obtained results suggested that the prepared materials are a promising candidate as electrode material for energy storage applications.

Automated summary

In this study, nanostructured nickel metal, oxide, and oxyhydroxides were successfully grown on various types of carbon nanostructures using a simple, low cost, and eco-friendly route derived from biomass waste materials. These materials showed promising potential as electrode materials for energy storage applications, delivering satisfactory specific capacitance values and remarkable charge/discharge reversibility. The sample decorated with NiO species on porous amorphous carbon nanostructure displayed the highest capacitive performance.