Rapid synthesis of three-dimensional flower-like cobalt sulfide hierarchitectures by microwave assisted heating method for high-performance supercapacitors

In this study, a novel facile and rapid method to prepare three-dimensional (3D) flower-like CoS hierarchitectures by microwave assisted heating has been developed. The 3D flower-like CoS architectures are constructed by two-dimensional nanopetals intertwined with each other and the formation mechanism are studied. The pseudo-capacitive properties of the CoS material are evaluated by cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge tests in 6 M KOH solution. A specific capacitance of 586 F g(-1) is obtained at a charge-discharge current density of 1 A g(-1). The CoS nanostructure exhibits excellent cycling stability and it maintains 91% of its initial specific capacitance after 1000 cycles. It also exhibits excellent rate capability, improved energy density and power density. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.