NiCo2O4 nanowire arrays supported on Ni foam for high-performance flexible all-solid-state supercapacitors

Abstract

Portable electronic devices which are ultrathin, lightweight and even able to roll-up have attracted much attention. Herein, we report the design of flexible all-solid-state symmetric supercapacitors by using two NiCo₂O₄ nanowire arrays supported on Ni foams as the electrodes. The as-fabricated symmetric supercapacitors have excellent electrochemical performance with a high cell areal capacitance of 161 mF cm⁻² at 1 mA cm⁻². Good electrochemical performance stability over 3000 cycles was obtained even when the device was under harsh mechanical conditions including both twisted and bent states. As-fabricated all-solid-state supercapacitors could be charged and power a commercial light-emitting-diode, demonstrating their feasibility as an efficient energy storage component and self-powered micro/nano-system. In addition, we were able to grow NiCo₂O₄ nanowire arrays on many kinds of flexible substrates, including nickel foam, carbon cloth, Ti foil and polytetrafluoroethylene tape. Our work here opens up opportunities for the device configuration for energy-storage devices in the future wearable electronic area and many other flexible, lightweight and high performance functional nanoscale devices.