Nanostructure-Integrated Electrode Based on Ni/NiO Coaxial Bilayer Nanotube Array with Large Specific Capacitance for Miniaturized Applications

The fast development of portable electronics demands electrodes for supercapacitors that are compatible with miniaturized device applications. In this study, an orderly aligned coaxial bilayer nanotube array made of transition metal/transition metal oxides was adopted as a nanostructure-integrated electrode for applications as miniaturized micro-supercapacitors. Using Ni and NiO as our model materials, the corresponding Ni/NiO-CBNTA electrodes were fabricated using templated growth and post-thermal oxidation. The Ni shells served as parts of the 3D nano-architectured collector, providing a large specific surface area, and the pseudocapacitive NiO layers were directly attached and electrically connected to the collector without any additives. The vertical growth of orderly aligned Ni/NiO-CBNTAs successfully avoided the underutilization of capacitive nanomaterials and allowed the electrolyte to be fully accessed, which manifested full charge storage capabilities under the miniaturizing. It was demonstrated that Ni/NiO-CBNTAs can serve as miniaturized electrodes with an improved specific capacitance of 1125 F/g ≅ 3 A/g, which is comparable to that obtained in a massive load electrode prepared by the conventional slurry-coating technique.