Superior performance of Ni(OH)2-ErGO@ NF electrode materials as pseudocapacitance using electrochemical deposition via two simple successive steps

In this work we report the synthesis of electrochemically deposited Ni(OH)(2) nanoparticles on the surface of in-situ electrochemically reduced graphene oxide nanosheets (ErGO NSs) supported on 3D networked nickel foam (NF) to form Ni(OH)(2)-ErGO@NF as electrode materials for supercapacitor (SCs) application. The adopted three-electrode electrochemical system via a two-step process for the synthesis of Ni(OH)(2)-ErGO@NF was fast and cost effective. First, 2D nanosheets of ErGO were deposited on NF by potential square wave technique. Second, Ni(OH)(2) nanoparticles were deposited on the surface of 2D nanosheets ErGO by potentiostat. The electrochemical behavior of the Ni(OH)(2)-ErGO@NF electrode was measured in 1 M KOH and revealed an impressive supercapacitive performance, with high specific capacitance of 3138 F/g at scan rate 20 mV/s. The synthesized Ni (OH)(2)-ErGO@NF exhibited excellent cyclic stability, with capacitance retention of 88.6% after 3000 cycles at a scan rate 50 mV/s. The enhanced electrochemical performance of SCs was attributed to the superior conductivity of ErGO NSs, which facilitated the transfer of charges and the diffusion of KOH electrolyte, making it is a promising candidate for SCs electrodes. This synthesis provides an appropriate approach for preparing other kinds of metal hydroxides with rGO for improved SCs electrode performance.