Complex oxides and
hydroxides of Ni, Co, and Mn from a precursor
mixture were electrochemically deposited on both a cathode and an
anode. On the Ni foam cathode, the complex metal hydroxides precipitated
as nanolayers at −0.9 V. Simultaneously, the metal ions were
oxidized and deposited as blocks on the Ni foam anode. While the concentrations
of Ni(NO
3
)
2
and Mn(NO
3
)
2
were constant (80 mM for Ni
2+
and 40 mM for Mn
2+
, respectively), the concentration of Co(NO
3
)
2
was varied from 20 to 120 mM, which affected the morphology and
electrochemical properties of the electrode: a Co:Ni:Mn molar ratio
resulted in the highest specific capacitance (at a scan rate of 5
mV s
–1
, 1800 F g
–1
for the cathode
material and 720 F g
–1
for the anode material).
This cathode material was assembled into symmetric supercapacitors,
which demonstrated an excellent energy density of 39 Wh kg
–1
at a power density of 1300 W kg
–1
and a high capacitance
retention of 90% after 3000 charge/discharge cycles. This high electrochemical
performance was attributed to the optimized ratio of metal oxides,
and this simple preparation strategy can be applied to other nanocomposites
of complex metal oxides/hydroxides with desired characteristics for
various applications.