MOF-templated syntheses of porous Co3O4 hollow spheres and micro-flowers for enhanced performance in supercapacitors

Two kinds of MOF micro-precursors (Co-BTB-I, micro-spheres; Co-BTB-II, micro-flowers) are obtained with/without a surfactant by a simple and fast reaction. The hollow spherical morphology of Co-BTB-I-450 and the flower-like morphology of Co-BTB-II-450 are successfully preserved from the MOF-based template morphologies with highly crystalline Co3O4 nanoparticles. Compared to Co-BTB-II-450 materials and commercial Co3O4, the Co-BTB-I-450 electrode exhibits the best performance as an electrochemical supercapacitor with a specific capacitance of 342.1 F g(-1) at 0.5 A g(-1).