A facile synthetic method and electrochemical performances of nickel oxide/carbon fibers composites

The uniform and completed nanofilms of nickel oxide (NiO) were electrodeposited on the carbon fibers (CFs) by a facile method of cyclic voltammetric. The as-prepared NiO/CFs composites can be used as a flexible electrode for electrochemical supercapacitors. Electrochemical measurements showed that 1.0-NiO/CFs had a good redox process and reversibility, and displayed the specific capacitances as high as 929 F g⁻¹ at a current density of 1 A g⁻¹. After 5000 cycles of charge and discharge, the 1.0-NiO/CFs composite materials could retain more than 88% of initial capacitance and show an excellent cyclability. Meanwhile, this supercapacitor exhibited a higher energy density of 20.8 Wh kg⁻¹ at a power density of 200 W kg⁻¹. The carbon fibers acting as active substrate for the composite electrode are a good conductor and have a larger capacitance of electrical double layer. The nanofilm structure of NiO could facilitate the contact of the electrolyte with the active materials, thus increasing the Faradaic pseudo-capacitance.