Co3O4@layered double hydroxide core/shell hierarchical nanowire arrays for enhanced supercapacitance performance

Co3O4 NiAl-layered double hydroxide (LDH) core/shell nanowire arrays with hierarchical structure have been synthesized by in situ growth of LDH nanosheets shell on the surface of Co3O4 nanowire arrays. The resulting Co3O4@NiAl-LDH material exhibits promising supercapacitance performance with largely enhanced specific capacitance and rate capability, much superior to pristine Co3O4 nanowire arrays. The improvement in electrochemical behavior is attributed to the hierarchically mesoporous morphology and the strong core-shell binding interaction, which facilitates a sufficient exposure of electroactive species as well as the charge transportation process. This work provides a facile and effective strategy for the fabrication of hierarchical materials with core/shell structure, which can be potentially used in the energy storage and conversion devices. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.