A hydrothermal reaction combined with a post anion-exchange reaction of hierarchically nanostructured NiCo2S4 for high-performance QDSSCs and supercapacitors

作者：Rao S Srinivasa; Durga Ikkurthi Kanaka; Kundakarla Nagabhushanam; Punnoose Dinah; Gopi Chandu V V M; Reddy Araveeti Eswar; Jagadeesh M; Kim Hee Je^*

来源：New Journal of Chemistry, 2017, 41(18): 10037-10047.

DOI：10.1039/c7nj02379k

This paper proposes a novel and facile strategy to synthesize hierarchical nanostructured NiCo2S4 via a simple hydrothermal reaction combined with a post anion-exchange reaction that was used directly as an electrode in supercapacitor and quantum-dot sensitized solar cells. By applying the appropriate material concentration, deposition temperature, and time, the NiCo2S4 was densely deposited over the entire surface of the Ni foam with good adhesion. The NiCo2S4 electrode exhibited outstanding electrochemical performance in both the applications with a high specific capacitance of 1612.95 F g(-1), energy density of 56 W h kg(-1) at 5 A g(-1), good cycling stability, power conversion efficiency of 3.94%, and J(sc) of 12.27 mA cm(-2). The NiCo2S4 electrode exhibited almost double the output values compared to NiCo2O4 (693.6 F g(-1) at 6.66 A g(-1) and efficiency of 1.81%) and NiCo2Se (1401.4 F g(-1) at 10 A g(-1) and efficiency of 3.86%), resulting from the excellent electrochemical performance of the NiCo2S4. Overall the excellent performance of the fabricated electrode was attributed mainly to the highly electrocatalytic activity, large surface area and decent conductivity of the hierarchical nanostructures of the NiCo2S4. This study shows that the NiCo2S4 nanostructures can be applied not only in high energy density fields, but also in high power density and energy harvesting applications.

• 出版日期2017-9-21