Construction of self-supported porous TiO2/NiO core/shell nanorod arrays for electrochemical capacitor application

High-quality metal oxides hetero-structured nanoarrays have been receiving great attention in electrochemical energy storage application. Self-supported Tio(2)/NiO core/shell nanorod arrays are prepared on carbon cloth via the combination of hydrothermal synthesis and electro-deposition methods. The obtained core/shell nanorods consist of nanorod core and interconnected nanoflake shell, as well as hierarchical porosity. As cathode materials for pseudo-capacitors, the Tio(2)/NiO core/shell nanorod arrays display impressive electrochemical performances with both high capacitance of 611 F g(-1) at 2 A g(-1), and pretty good cycling stability with a retention of 89% after 5000 cycles. Besides, as compared to the single NiO nanoflake arrays on carbon cloth, the Tio(2)/NiO core/shell nanorod arrays exhibit much better electrochemical properties with higher capacitance, better electrochemical activity and cycling life. This enhanced performance is mainly due to the core/shell nanorods architecture offering fast ion/electron transfer and sufficient contact between active materials and electrolyte. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.