Facile one-pot strategy synthesis of ultrathin α-Co(OH)2 nanosheets towards high-performance electrochemical capacitors

A facile one-pot hydrothermal strategy was proposed to prepare ultrathin alpha-Co(OH)(2) nanosheets with a thickness of ca. 10 nm. Electrochemical data demonstrated that the ultrathin Co(OH)(2) nanosheets delivered a specific capacitance of 401 F g(-1) at a current density of 0.67 A g(-1), and even 232 F g(-1) at 10 A g(-1). A specific capacitance degradation is ca. 2% after 1000 continuous cycling at 4 A g(-1). The desirable electrochemical performance of the ultrathin nanosheets mainly stems from the large interfacial area of solid/liquid reaction due to their large interlayer spacing and ultrathin nature, indicating that the ultrathin alpha-Co(OH)(2) nanosheets are a good candidate for electrochemical capacitor application. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.