Optimal Co(OH)(2) Nanowire Contents in Graphene Nanosheet Electrode on Its Electrochemical Performance of Supercapacitor

Abstract

Graphene/Co(OH)(2) nanowire composite films were successfully synthesized using a simple three-step treatment, and the effect of the Co(OH)(2) nanowire content on the electrochemical properties of the composite films was studied in this study. One-dimensional Co(OH)(2) nanowires were homogeneously embedded and dispersed between the prepared graphene papers, forming a layered graphene/Co(OH)(2) nanowire hybrid structure. These composite films exhibited better electrochemical properties than the previously reported graphene composites with carbon spheres such as graphene/CNT composites. These graphene composites were fabricated using the same method we used in this study but without the addition of Co(OH)(2) nanowires. The addition of a small amount of Co(OH)(2) to reduced graphene oxide (rGO) (RGO:Co(OH)(2) = 5:1) yielded thick paper-like rGO/Co(OH)(2) sandwiches, which showed an excellent specific capacitance of 1032.57 Fg(-1) at a scan rate of 5 mVs(-1). These results indicate the potential of these composites for the development of highly capacitive energy storage devices for practical applications.