Preparation and supercapacitor application of the single crystal nickel hydroxide and oxide nanosheets

Graphical abstract: The nickel hydroxide and nickel oxide nanosheets prepared using CTAB at room temperature exhibit a high specific capacitance, prompt charge/discharge rate. - Highlights: • The nickel hydroxide nanosheets were prepared using CTAB at room temperature. • Ni(OH){sub 2} nanosheet can be successfully converted to NiO nanosheet via calcination. • The NiO nanosheet has a specific capacitance of 388 F g{sup −1} at 5 A g{sup −1} in KOH solution. • Anneal temperature impacts capacitive properties as electrode. - Abstract: The single crystalline Ni(OH){sub 2} nanosheets were synthesized by a simple chemical precipitation method using nickel chloride as precursors and ammonia as precipitating agent. The Ni(OH){sub 2} nanosheets were successfully converted to NiO nanosheets via calcination under appropriate conditions. Analytical methods such as X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution TEM (HRTEM), and Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) spectra were employed to characterize the morphology and microstructure of the final products. The experimental results revealed that Ni(OH){sub 2} nanosheets were shape-preserved transformed to NiO nanosheets at 250 °C for 24 h. Ni(OH){sub 2} and NiO nanosheets were directly functionalized as supercapacitor electrodes for potential energy storage applications, whose charge–discharge properties, electrochemical impedance spectra, cyclicmore » voltammetry, and cycle performance were examined. The experimental results show that the single-crystalline NiO nanosheets are a promising candidate for the supercapacitor electrode. They exhibit a high specific capacitance, prompt charge/discharge rate.« less