Synergistic Interaction of Ternary Ni−Co−Cu Chalcogenides Confined in Nanosheets Array to Advance Supercapacitors and Solar Steam Generation

Abstract

Copper foam (CF)‐supported 3D nanosheets array composed of ternary Ni−Co−Cu chalcogenides are prepared by a simple in situ formation process. Specifically, a highly electroactive Ni−Co binary sulfide in nanosheets is synthesized against the CF backbone, whereas the copper species migrate from the CF to the Ni−Co nanosheets, leading to the in situ formation of the ternary metallic sulfide (Ni−Co−Cu−S, NCCS). Due to the synergistic interaction of Ni, Co, and Cu sulfides confined in nanosheets, this NCCS material demonstrates good mechanical robustness, a large surface area, and enhanced electric conductivity. As a result, the NCCS exhibits a high specific capacitance (750 mF cm−2 at 100 mA cm−2) with good cycling performance (97.14% after 10 000 cycles) when used as supercapacitor electrodes. In addition, the 3D porous hierarchical nanostructure of NCCS provides nanoconfined water molecule channels to achieve high‐yield solar steam generation, delivering an enhanced evaporation rate of 2.48 kg m−2 h−1 under 1 sun irradiation.

N-doped carbon@Cu core–shell nanostructure with nearly full solar spectrum absorption and enhanced solar evaporation efficiency

“…41 Therefore, it is considered a promising alternative candidate for plasmon-enhanced solar evaporation. [42][43][44][45] However, Cu nanoparticles present a narrow absorption peak in the visible region and are easily oxidized due to their high surface energy and low standard reduction potential, limiting their practical application in solar steam generation. 46,47 Cu nanostructures based on the core-shell architecture have been reported to effectively prevent the oxidation of Cu atoms and improve their chemical stability.…”

Multifunctional nanoarchitectured porous carbon for solar steam generation and supercapacitor applications

“…16,17 Of the thousands of well-known porous coordination polymerderived materials, only a handful of them reported multiple applications such as solar steam generation (SSG) and electrochemical energy storage. 18,19 Recently, MOF-derived NPC has shown great potential in applications such as SSG, which is considered a promising solution for freshwater production. [20][21][22] Previous literature reports demonstrated that the unique properties of MOFderived carbons such as porosity, defects, and free radical concentrations help to improve photothermal performance.…”

“…16,17 Of the thousands of well-known porous coordination polymer-derived materials, only a handful of them reported multiple applications such as solar steam generation (SSG) and electrochemical energy storage. 18,19…”

Unlocking the potential of a novel hierarchical hybrid (Ni–Co)Se2@NiMoO4@rGO–NF core–shell electrode for high-performance hybrid supercapacitors

“…5,[7][8][9][10][11][12] In recent years, carbonbased materials and a diverse range of metal oxides/ hydroxides/chalcogenides have been universally diagnosed as capacitive and battery-type materials, respectively. [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21] EDLC materials have long-term cyclic durability, but suffer from low electrochemical performance in HSC devices. 1 In contrast, battery-type materials exhibit swi redox kinetics and outstanding theoretical capacity, nonetheless they always have disappointing rate performance and ultra-long cycling stability.…”