Functional Porous Carbon/Nickel Oxide Nanocomposites as Binder-Free Electrodes for Supercapacitors

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& Nanocomposites Functional Porous Carbon/Nickel Oxide Nanocomposites as Binder-Free Electrodes for Supercapacitors Rajesh Madhu , [a] Vediyappan Veeramani, [a] Shen-Ming Chen,* [a] Pitchaimani Veerakumar, [b] and Shang-Bin Liu * [b, c] Abstract: High-surface-area, guava-leaf-derived, heteroatom- containing activated carbon (GHAC) materials were synthe- sized by means of a facile chemical activation method with KOH as activating agent and exploited as catalyst supports to disperse nickel oxide (NiO) nanocrystals (average size (2.0 0.1) nm) through a hydrothermal process. The textural and structural properties of these GHAC/NiO nanocompo- sites were characterized by various physicochemical tech- niques, namely, field-emission SEM, high-resolution TEM, ele- mental analysis, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spec- troscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and Raman spectrosco- py. The as-synthesized GHAC/NiO nanocomposites were em- ployed as binder-free electrodes, which exhibited high specific capacitance (up to 461 F g 1 at a current density of 2.3 A g 1 ) and remarkable cycling stability, which may be at- tributed to the unique properties of GHAC and excellent electrochemical activity of the highly dispersed NiO nano- crystals. Introduction The production of eco-friendly energy-storage devices is im- perative for the development of society. In recent decades, the development of carbon-based materials for perspective new applications has drawn considerable research attention. [1–6] Among them, graphene/metal oxide nanocomposites have been widely exploited in various electrochemical applications. In particular, graphene/nickel oxide and graphene/cobalt oxide nanostructures were found to show superior performance in supercapacitor applications. [7–12] In addition to noble and tran- sition metal oxides (or hydroxides), which exhibit high capaci- tance as well as high energy density desirable for supercapaci- tor applications, other mono- and bifunctional metal oxides or hydroxides such as MnO 2 , NiO/Ni(OH) 2 , Co 3 O 4 /Co(OH) 2 , Fe 2 O 3 , Fe 3 O 4 , SnO, V 2 O 5 , Bi 2 O 3 , MoO 2 , TiO 2 , NiCo 2 O 4 , NiFe 2 O 4 , CoFe 2 O 4 , ZnMnO 4 , and ZnCo 2 O 4 have also been investigated. [13–15] In the case of carbon-based materials, preparation of graphene from graphite is an intricate procedure that may also lead to hazard- ous explosions. On the other hand, the procedure for fabrica- tion of activated carbons (ACs) from biomass precursors is simple and more environmentally friendly. Moreover, biomass- derived ACs, which have been used in several industrial appli- cations, are known to have unique properties such as ultrahigh surface area, tailorable pore size, low toxicity, good electrical conductivity, high chemical stability, and natural presence of desirable surface oxygen functional groups. [1, 16–23] Nickel oxide nanoparticles (NiO NPs), which have versatile catalytic activity, have played a critical role in various R&D ef- forts. [24–28] Together with the unique textural properties of the biomass-derived AC and the prominent changes provoked by the formation of a nanocomposite between the nickel oxide layer and carbon sheet, they lead to a variety of nanoscale crevices to facilitate accessibility of the electrolyte ions to the surfaces of the electrode. Such carbon/metal oxide composites, which have large redox capacitances, have been extensively utilized as efficient electrode materials for alkaline supercapaci- tors. [29–32] Nevertheless, literature reports on utilization of bio- mass-derived ACs for electrochemical applications is rare, and there is no report available on AC/NiO nanocomposites. Guava leaves (Psidium guajava), which are rich in lignocellulosic con- tent and easily available worldwide, are desirable biomass re- sources. Moreover, owing to the excellent and unique proper- ties of guava-leaf-derived, heteroatom-containing activated carbon (GHAC), we sought to explore the electrochemical per- formance of GHAC/NiO nanocomposites in supercapacitor ap- plications. This was accomplished by assessing their electro- chemical capacitor properties through cyclic voltammetry measurements in a three-electrode system. Herein, we report [a] R. Madhu , + V. Veeramani, + Prof. Dr. S.-M. Chen Electroanalysis and Bioelectrochemistry Lab Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology National Taipei University of Technology Taipei, 10617 (Taiwan) Fax: (+ 886) 2-27025238 E-mail : [email protected] [b] Dr. P. Veerakumar, Prof. Dr. S.-B. Liu Institute of Atomic and Molecular Sciences Academia Sinica, Taipei, 10617 (Taiwan) Fax: (+ 886) 2-23620200 E-mail : [email protected] [c] Prof. Dr. S.-B. Liu Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan Normal University Taipei 11677 (Taiwan) [ + ] These authors contributed equally. Supporting information for this article is available on the WWW under http ://dx.doi.org/10.1002/chem.201500247. Chem. Eur. J. 2015, 21, 8200 – 8206 # 2015 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim 8200 Full Paper DOI: 10.1002/chem.201500247

Transcript of Functional Porous Carbon/Nickel Oxide Nanocomposites as Binder-Free Electrodes for Supercapacitors

&Nanocomposites

Functional Porous Carbon/Nickel Oxide Nanocomposites asBinder-Free Electrodes for Supercapacitors

Rajesh Madhu ,[a] Vediyappan Veeramani ,[a] Shen-Ming Chen,*[a] Pitchaimani Veerakumar,[b]

and Shang-Bin Liu *[b, c]

Abstract: High-surface-area, guava-leaf-derived, heteroatom-containing activated carbon (GHAC) materials were synthe-sized by means of a facile chemical activation method withKOH as activating agent and exploited as catalyst supportsto disperse nickel oxide (NiO) nanocrystals (average size(2.0�0.1) nm) through a hydrothermal process. The texturaland structural properties of these GHAC/NiO nanocompo-sites were characterized by various physicochemical tech-niques, namely, field-emission SEM, high-resolution TEM, ele-

mental analysis, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spec-troscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and Raman spectrosco-py. The as-synthesized GHAC/NiO nanocomposites were em-ployed as binder-free electrodes, which exhibited highspecific capacitance (up to 461 F g¢1 at a current density of2.3 A g¢1) and remarkable cycling stability, which may be at-tributed to the unique properties of GHAC and excellentelectrochemical activity of the highly dispersed NiO nano-crystals.

Introduction

The production of eco-friendly energy-storage devices is im-perative for the development of society. In recent decades, thedevelopment of carbon-based materials for perspective newapplications has drawn considerable research attention.[1–6]

Among them, graphene/metal oxide nanocomposites havebeen widely exploited in various electrochemical applications.In particular, graphene/nickel oxide and graphene/cobalt oxidenanostructures were found to show superior performance insupercapacitor applications.[7–12] In addition to noble and tran-sition metal oxides (or hydroxides), which exhibit high capaci-tance as well as high energy density desirable for supercapaci-tor applications, other mono- and bifunctional metal oxides orhydroxides such as MnO2, NiO/Ni(OH)2, Co3O4/Co(OH)2, Fe2O3,Fe3O4, SnO, V2O5, Bi2O3, MoO2, TiO2, NiCo2O4, NiFe2O4, CoFe2O4,

ZnMnO4, and ZnCo2O4 have also been investigated.[13–15] In thecase of carbon-based materials, preparation of graphene fromgraphite is an intricate procedure that may also lead to hazard-ous explosions. On the other hand, the procedure for fabrica-tion of activated carbons (ACs) from biomass precursors issimple and more environmentally friendly. Moreover, biomass-derived ACs, which have been used in several industrial appli-cations, are known to have unique properties such as ultrahighsurface area, tailorable pore size, low toxicity, good electricalconductivity, high chemical stability, and natural presence ofdesirable surface oxygen functional groups.[1, 16–23]

Nickel oxide nanoparticles (NiO NPs), which have versatilecatalytic activity, have played a critical role in various R&D ef-forts.[24–28] Together with the unique textural properties of thebiomass-derived AC and the prominent changes provoked bythe formation of a nanocomposite between the nickel oxidelayer and carbon sheet, they lead to a variety of nanoscalecrevices to facilitate accessibility of the electrolyte ions to thesurfaces of the electrode. Such carbon/metal oxide composites,which have large redox capacitances, have been extensivelyutilized as efficient electrode materials for alkaline supercapaci-tors.[29–32] Nevertheless, literature reports on utilization of bio-mass-derived ACs for electrochemical applications is rare, andthere is no report available on AC/NiO nanocomposites. Guavaleaves (Psidium guajava), which are rich in lignocellulosic con-tent and easily available worldwide, are desirable biomass re-sources. Moreover, owing to the excellent and unique proper-ties of guava-leaf-derived, heteroatom-containing activatedcarbon (GHAC), we sought to explore the electrochemical per-formance of GHAC/NiO nanocomposites in supercapacitor ap-plications. This was accomplished by assessing their electro-chemical capacitor properties through cyclic voltammetrymeasurements in a three-electrode system. Herein, we report

[a] R. Madhu ,+ V. Veeramani ,+ Prof. Dr. S.-M. ChenElectroanalysis and Bioelectrochemistry LabDepartment of Chemical Engineering and BiotechnologyNational Taipei University of TechnologyTaipei, 10617 (Taiwan)Fax: (+ 886) 2-27025238E-mail : [email protected]

[b] Dr. P. Veerakumar, Prof. Dr. S.-B. LiuInstitute of Atomic and Molecular SciencesAcademia Sinica, Taipei, 10617 (Taiwan)Fax: (+ 886) 2-23620200E-mail : [email protected]

[c] Prof. Dr. S.-B. LiuDepartment of Chemistry, National Taiwan Normal UniversityTaipei 11677 (Taiwan)

[++] These authors contributed equally.

Supporting information for this article is available on the WWW underhttp ://dx.doi.org/10.1002/chem.201500247.

Chem. Eur. J. 2015, 21, 8200 – 8206 Ó 2015 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim8200

Full PaperDOI: 10.1002/chem.201500247

for the first time the synthesis of GHAC/NiO nanocompositesand their applications as efficient binder-free electrodes fornovel supercapacitors, as illustrated in Scheme 1.

Results and Discussion

The morphology of the as-prepared GHAC/NiO samples wasexamined by field emission SEM (FE-SEM). The FE-SEM imagesof the material synthesized by carbonization at 900 8C (GHAC-900, Figure 1 a–c) revealed a honeycomb-like structure withhighly porous morphology. Figure 1 d shows the quantitativeelemental analysis obtained for GHAC-900 by energy dispersiveX-ray (EDX) analysis, revealing the anticipated high carbon con-tent of about 78 wt %. By comparison, the FE-SEM image ofthe as-synthesized GHAC/NiO nanocomposite prepared at900 8C under N2 atmosphere (Figure 2 a) clearly indicates thatthe NiO nanocrystals are evenly embedded in the carbon struc-ture and tend to block the pores of the carbon layers. EDXanalysis (Figure 2 b) confirmed the presence of nickel, carbon,and oxygen in the nanocomposite material.[33] These results in-

dicate that the NiO nanocrystalswere well-dispersed in the GHACmatrix.

Figure 2 c shows the powderXRD patterns of GHACs carbon-ized at different temperaturesand the GHAC/NiO nanocompo-site. All samples exhibited twomain characteristic peaks at 2 q

values of 23.2 and 43.18 corre-sponding to the (002) and (100)index planes, which can be at-tributed to turbostratic andgraphitized carbon, respectively.Additional sharp diffractionpeaks were observed for theGHAC/NiO composite at 2 q

�37.3, 43.3, and 62.98, which correspond to the (111), (200),and (220) planes of the face-centered cubic (fcc) phase of NiO(JCPDS 65-6920), in excellent agreement with the reportedvalues.[34–36] It is noteworthy that only the fcc phase of NiO wasobserved in the GHAC/NiO composite material. Moreover, thedegree of graphitization of various samples was also examinedby Raman spectroscopy, which provides a wealth of informa-tion about their intrinsic carbon structure. As shown in Fig-ure 2 d, all samples showed similar Raman spectra exhibitingtwo broad characteristic peaks centered at 1325 and1589 cm¢1, which can be attributed to the disordered D band(A1g symmetry) and graphitic G band (E2g symmetry) of theideal graphitic lattice, respectively.[37, 38] Moreover, all samplesshowed similar relative peak intensities (IG/ID ratios) indicatingthat their degrees of graphitization are rather similar.

Figure 3 shows high-resolution TEM (HRTEM) images ofGHAC-900 and the GHAC/NiO nanocomposite. In the absenceof NiO, GHAC-900 showed only honeycomb-like mesoscopic

Scheme 1. Schematic synthesis of GHAC/NiO nanocomposites from guava leaves and their application as electro-des for supercapacitors.

Figure 1. a)–c) FE-SEM images and d) elemental data obtained from EDXanalysis of the GHAC-900 sample.

Figure 2. a) FE-SEM image and b) EDX profile of the GHAC/NiO nanocompo-site. c) XRD patterns and d) Raman spectra of various samples.

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amorphous graphitic carbon, whereas the formation of GHAC/NiO nanocomposite can readily be identified by the dark spotsin the TEM image, which can be ascribed to the presence ofNiO nanocrystals (average size (2.0�0.1) nm) uniformly distrib-uted throughout the specimen grid.

The textural properties of GHAC-700, GHAC-800, GHAC-900,and GHAC/NiO composite were determined by measuring N2

adsorption/desorption isotherms at 77 K (Figure 4 a). The ad-sorption/desorption curves exhibited typical type I isothermsaccording to the IUPAC classification, which indicate the coex-istence of micro- and mesoporosity in the GHAC substrate.[39, 40]

The BET surface areas, pore volumes Vtot, and BJH pore sizes(see Figure S1 in the Supporting Information) of various sam-ples are listed in Table 1. In the absence of NiO, consistent in-creases in total surface area Stot and Vtot were observed with in-creasing carbonization temperature of the pristine GHAC. Fur-ther evaluation of the microporosities by t-plot analysis al-lowed the microporous surface areas Smicro and pore volumesVmicro of the GHACs to be determined. This revealed that the in-

creases in Stot and Vtot observed for GHAC with increasing car-bonization temperature were mainly due to the increase inmesoporosity. For example, on raising the carbonization tem-perature from 700 to 900 8C, Smicro and Vmicro remained practical-ly the same, but notable increases in Smeso (from ca. 464 to813 m2 g¢1) and Vmeso (from ca. 0.30 to 0.45 m3 g¢1) occurred.Meanwhile, the pore size also increased from about 2.8 to3.5 nm (see Figure S2 of the Supporting Information andTable 1). However, on incorporation of nickel oxide species,dramatic decreases in both micro- and mesoporosity as well aspore size were evident (see Table 1). This is attributed to block-ing of pores by NiO nanocrystals, as also evidenced by the FE-SEM results (Figure 2 a).

Further quantitative studies on the carbon framework andstability of the GHAC and GHAC/NiO samples were performedby thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential thermalanalysis (DTA) under flowing air. Compared to the GHAC-900sample, which revealed a broad and symmetric TGA-DTA curvein the range of about 500–625 8C (Figure 4 b) due to pyrolysisof the carbon framework.[41] the GHAC/NiO composite exhibit-ed a somewhat asymmetric curve spanning over the range of400–700 8C. The weak weight-loss peak below 100 8C shouldbe due to desorption of physisorbed water. Thus, the thermalanalysis results indicate that the GHAC/NiO composite shouldremain stable up to 400 8C.

Elemental analysis of the GHAC/NiO nanocomposite re-vealed the presence of C (79.14 %), N (1.14 %), S (0.32 %), and H(1.86 %) in the GHAC-900 substrate. As revealed by EDX analy-sis, the other predominant element should be oxygen (pre-sumably >17.5 wt %). It is noteworthy that these activated car-bons derived from an abundant biomass resource (i.e. , guavaleaves) contain heteroatoms that are desirable for enhancingthe electrochemical properties[3–6, 16, 17, 19, 20] of the GHAC/NiOcomposite as prospective electrodes for biosensing and energyapplications. The surface properties of the GHAC/NiO compo-site were further investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectros-copy (XPS, Figure 4 c), which clearly showed the presence ofpredominant species such as C, O, and Ni, whereas no peaksdue to H, N, and S species were visible because of their lowersurface contents. Figure 4 d shows the expanded XP spectrumcovering the Ni 2p1/2 and Ni 2p3/2 regions. The peaks centeredat 860.2 and 868.5 eV correspond to Ni 2p3/2 and Ni 2p1/2 spin

Figure 4. a) N2 adsorption/desorption isotherms. b) TGA profile (inset: DTAcurve) of GHAC-900 and GHAC/NiO. c) XPS profile of GHAC/NiO and d) ex-panded spectrum covering the Ni 2p1/2 and Ni 2p3/2 regions.

Table 1. Textural properties of various as-synthesized samples.

Sample NiO size[nm][a]

Surface area[m2 g¢1][b]

Pore volume[cm3 g¢1][c]

Dp

[nm][f]

IG/ID

Stot Smicro[d] Vtot Vmicro

[d] Vmeso[e]

GHAC-700 – 1005 540.5 0.52 0.22 0.30 2.8 1.2GHAC-800 – 1270 532.3 0.58 0.23 0.35 3.1 1.1GHAC-900 – 1348 535.2 0.69 0.24 0.45 3.5 1.0GHAC/NiO 2.0�0.1 1297 308.4 0.43 0.15 0.28 1.7 1.1

[a] Average NiO crystalline size determined by HRTEM analysis. [b] BETsurface area. [c] Total pore volume calculated at P/P0 = 0.99. [d] Micropo-rous surface area and pore volume obtained from t-plot analysis. [e] Mes-oporous volume (Vmeso = Vtot¢Vmicro). [f] BJH pore diameter determinedfrom the adsorption branch of the isotherm.

Figure 3. HRTEM images of a) GHAC-900 and b)–d) the GHAC/NiO compo-site.

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orbitals (Figure 4 d). The binding energy peaks at about 530.5and 288.0 eV correspond to O 1s and C 1s, respectively (Fig-ure 4 c).[42, 43]

Figure 5 a shows the cyclic voltammograms (CVs) of NiO-freeGHAC-700, GHAC-800, and GHAC-900 samples at a fixed scanrate of 7 mV s¢1 in 1 m KOH electrolyte. Interestingly, all electro-

des showed the typical rectangular shape corresponding tothe redox properties of the surface oxygen functional groupsduring the charge/discharge process. At a constant scan rateof 7 mV s¢1, the specific capacitances calculated for GHAC-700,GHAC-800, and GHAC-900 were 27, 33, and 66 F g¢1, respec-tively, which suggest an increase in specific capacitance withincreasing cabonization temperature of the GHAC. The largercurrent area observed for the GHAC-900 electrode comparedto its NiO-free counterparts revealed an increase in storage ca-pacitance with increasing carbonization temperature of theGHAC. Moreover, the CV curves observed for the fabricatedelectrodes (Figure 5 b) maintained the nearly rectangular shapeeven at varied scan rates (2–30 mV s¢1). This indicates that, inaqueous alkaline solution (1.0 m KOH), capacitance can bestored at the electrode/electrolyte interfaces through accumu-lation of electrolyte ions. The excellent electrochemical reversi-bility may be attributed to the pseudocapacitive contributionarising from the surface oxygen functional groups,[44] whichhave been shown to improve wettability of the substrate andmaximize the electroactive surface area.[45] Figure 5 c shows thegalvanostatic charge/discharge (GCD) curves of the GHAC-900electrode at varied current densities. Accordingly, specific ca-pacitances of 55, 58, 60, 61, 62.5, and 66 F g¢1 can be deducedfor the GHAC-900 electrode at current densities of 10, 5, 3, 2,1.5, and 1 A g¢1, respectively. For comparison, the electrochem-ical performances and GCD properties of GHAC-700 and

GHAC-800 electrodes are shown in Figure S2 in the SupportingInformation. In general, GHAC carbonized at higher tempera-tures shows a higher specific capacitance. In this context, be-sides the presence of heteroatoms in GHAC electrodes, samplesurface area and pore volume are also crucial components inobtaining a desirable supercapacitor performance.

The stability of the GHAC-900 electrode was further exam-ined by cyclic measurements. As shown in Figure 5 d, the ob-served specific capacitance of the binder-free GHAC-900 elec-trode decreased only by about 6.7 % of its initial capacitanceeven after 2500 charge/discharge cycles. The excellent stabilityobserved for the GHAC electrode is attributed to its uniquetextural and electrochemical properties (see above), whichtend to promote intercalation and de-intercalation processesof the electrochemical species after some initial cycles.[46]

Moreover, the electrochemical performance of the as-pre-pared GHAC/NiO nanocomposite was also assessed and com-pared to that of bare NiO. Figure 6 a shows the CV curves of

NiO and GHAC/NiO nanocomposite recorded at a scan rate of10 mV s¢1 in 1 m KOH aqueous electrolyte solution. Clearly,a much higher redox peak current area was observed forGHAC/NiO than for bare NiO and indicates much higher specif-ic capacitance of the nanocomposite material. Moreover, thefact that the redox peak current observed for the GHAC/NiO

Figure 5. CV curves of a) various GHAC electrodes recorded by usinga three-electrode system in 1.0 m KOH aqueous electrolyte at a fixed scanrate of 7 mV s¢1 and b) the GHAC-900 electrode recorded at various scanrates. c) Variations of GCD curves with current density and d) cyclic per-formance of the GHAC-900 electrode measured at a constant current densityof 3.0 A g¢1 (inset: variation of potential with time during charge/dischargecycles).

Figure 6. CV curves of a) NiO and GHAC/NiO electrodes recorded at a fixedscan rate of 10 mV s¢1 and b) GHAC/NiO recorded at various scan rates in1 m KOH electrolyte. GCD curves of c) NiO and d) GHAC/NiO electrodes atvarious current densities, their corresponding e) variations of specific capaci-tance with current density, and f) comparison of cyclic performances mea-sured at a current density of 4.6 A g¢1 (insets: corresponding variations ofpotential versus time during charge/discharge cycles).

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electrode increases with increasing scan rate (Figure 6 b) ruledout a surface-controlled process.

On the basis of the charge/discharge results obtained forNiO and GHAC/NiO electrodes at various current densities (Fig-ure 6 c and d, respectively), their corresponding variations ofspecific capacitance with current density are depicted in Fig-ure 6 e. Clearly, the binder-free GHAC/NiO nanocomposite elec-trode showed much higher specific capacitance than unsup-ported NiO and bare GHAC-900. For example, at a constantcurrent density of 3.0 A g¢1, the specific capacitances derivedfor GHAC-900, NiO, and GHAC/NiO electrodes were 60, 200,and 361 F g¢1, respectively. In other words, the specific capaci-tance dramatically increased sixfold on incorporating about0.3 wt % of NiO nanocrystals into the GHAC support. Moreover,as evidenced in Figure 6 f, excellent electrochemical stabilitywas also observed for the GHAC/NiO electrode; about 83 % ofits initial capacitance was retained even after consecutivecharge/discharge operations up to 1000 cycles, comparable toother modified electrodes reported in the literature (see Sup-porting Information, Table S1).[9, 47–50]

Finally, electrochemical impedance analysis was performedto explore the charge-transfer behavior at the electrode/elec-trolyte interface. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy wascarried out in the frequency range between 0.1 and 10 MHzwith a perturbation-potential amplitude of 10 mV. The Nyquistplots obtained from GHAC and GHAC/NiO samples (Figure 7)

all show a single semicircle in the mid-frequency region ac-companied by a spike (or tail) in the low-frequency region. Thelatter most likely arises from the capacitive behavior of theelectrode material. In general, the intersection of semicircle inthe high-frequency region represents the equivalent series re-sistance (ESR), which is a combination of solution resistance,the intrinsic resistance of the active material, and interfacial re-sistance at the active material and current collector. In thiscase, the ESR value is nearly the same for all samples. On theother hand, the diameter of the semicircle represents thecharge-transfer resistance at the electrode/electrolyte interface.GHAC/NiO exhibited a lower charge-transfer resistance thanGHAC, most likely due to a synergistic effect between the indi-vidual components.[51] Thus, the binder-free GHAC/NiO nano-composite reported hierein, which can be facilely prepared inbulk quantities from biomass resources, is a novel cost-effec-tive electrode material for prospective new applications inhigh-performance supercapactiors.

Conclusion

We have reported the synthesis of GHAC/NiO nanocompositematerials using a simple, eco-friendly method. Such nanocom-posite materials show remarkable performance as binder-freeelectrodes in supercapacitor applications. The superior electro-chemical activity observed for GHAC/NiO can be attributed tothe catalytic activity of the NiO nanocrystals as well as thehigh surface area of and presence of heteroatom species inthe biomass-derived GHAC support, which enhance the surfacewettability and induce pseudocapacitive behavior that is favor-able for high-performance supercapacitor applications.

Experimental Section

Preparation of GHAC/NiO nanocomposites

GHAC materials with unique textural properties containing heter-oatoms and surface functional groups were prepared by a simpleand eco-friendly chemical activation method by using guava leaves(Psidium guajava) as the carbon precursor. Typically, the driedguava leaves were first pulverized and preheated at 100 8C for 2 d.Then, a desired amount of the preheated sample was activated at60 8C in 10 % KOH for 24 h under stirring in an N2 atmosphere. Sub-sequently, the activated sample was carbonized in a tube furnaceat different temperatures (700, 800, and 900 8C) for 2 h in N2 at-mosphere with a heating rate of 5 8C min¢1. Finally, the carbonizedGHAC powder was washed with hot distilled water and 1 m HCl toremove KOH and other impurities, followed by drying at 150 8Covernight before being ground to fine powder. The activatedcarbon samples thus obtained are denoted as GHAC-x, where rep-resents the carbonization temperature in 8C.

The GHAC/NiO nanocomposite was prepared by a simple hydro-thermal method. Typically, about 100 mg of GHAC-900 was dis-persed in 50 mL of an ethanol/water (1/1, v/v) solution containingcetyltrimethylammonium bromide (0.1 g) and 0.05 mNi(NO3)2·6 H2O. The solution was sonication for 1–2 h, and then anappropriate amount of liquid ammonia solution (25 wt %) wasslowly added to this suspension, which was stirred for an addition-al 2–3 h. The suspension was sealed in a 100 mL Teflon-lined stain-less steel autoclave for hydrothermal reaction at 100 8C for 10 h.The product was collected by centrifugation, washed with deion-ized water and then ethanol, and dried at 80 8C in air for 12 h. Thesamples were heated to 350 8C, and then the temperature wasraised to 900 8C for 3 h under an N2 atmosphere to obtain the finalGHAC/NiO nanocomposite sample.

Electrode preparation

For supercapacitor applications, a GHAC/NiO electrode was pre-pared by mixing GHAC-900 (85 wt %) and graphite (15 wt %) with0.4 mL of N-methylpyrrolidone to form a homogeneous slurry.Then, ca. 15 mL of the above slurry was coated on a stainless steelelectrode with dimensions of about 1 Õ 1 cm2 by a solution-castingmethod, followed by drying overnight at 60 8C. The mass loadingof GHAC-900 on the substrate was about 1.3 mg cm¢2. Prior toelectrochemical studies, the cell was soaked in electrolyte for a fewhours. The electrochemical properties of the cell were examined inthe potential range of ¢1.0 to 0 V by using a CV apparatus. Thebinder-free GHAC/NiO/stainless steel electrode thus prepared wasused for further electrochemical experiments at room temperatureunder an inert atmosphere.

Figure 7. Nyquist plots for GHAC and GHAC/NiO.

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Electrochemical studies

Electrochemical properties of various GHAC and GHAC/NiO electro-des were assessed by using a three-electrode system in 1.0 m KOHaqueous electrolyte solution. The three-electrode system consistedof GHAC or GHAC/NiO as the working electrode, Ag/AgCl as thereference electrode, and a platinum wire as the counter electrode.All CV and galvanostatic charge/discharge (GCD) experiments wereperformed on an electrochemical work station (CHI627). The specif-ic capacitances of the sample electrodes were calculated by usingEquation (1) for CV measurements[46]

C ¼ Q=mDV ð1Þ

where C is the specific capacitance in units of F g¢1, Q the averagecharge during the charge and discharge process (in units of C), mis mass of the active material in units of g, and DV the working po-tential in units of V, and Equation (2) in the case of GCD measure-ments

C ¼ IDt=mDV ð2Þ

where I is the applied current density in units of A and Dt thecharge/discharge duration in units of s.

Physicochemical characterization

Samples were characterized by various physicochemical tech-niques. XRD studies were carried out on a Rigaku (MiniFlex II) dif-fractometer. Raman spectra were recorded on a WITeck CRM200confocal Raman microscopy system with a 488 nm laser. The mor-phology of various samples was examined by FE-SEM (JEOL, JSM-6700F), and FE-TEM (JEOL, JEM-3000F) at 300 kV. For XPS anULVAC-PHI PHI 5000 VersaProbe equipment was used. N2 adsorp-tion/desorption isotherms were studied by using a QuantachromeAutosorb-1 physisorption system. TGA and DTA were performedon a Netzsch TG-209 instrument under air atmosphere.

Acknowledgements

Financial supports of this work by the Ministry of Science andTechnology, Taiwan (NSC101-2113M-027-001-MY3 to S.-M.C. ;NSC101-2113M-001-020-MY3 to S.-B.L.) are gratefully acknowl-edged. The authors thank Mr. Rajkumar Madhu (Department ofEnglish (MCAS), Periyar University, India) for help with betterlanguage proficiency and collection of biomass samples.

Keywords: biomass · carbon · electrochemistry ·nanostructures · nickel

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Chem. Eur. J. 2015, 21, 8200 – 8206 www.chemeurj.org Ó 2015 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim8205

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Received: January 19, 2015

Published online on April 16, 2015

Chem. Eur. J. 2015, 21, 8200 – 8206 www.chemeurj.org Ó 2015 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim8206

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