Issue 10, 2012

Hollow core–shell nanostructure supercapacitor electrodes: gap matters

Abstract

Hollow core–shell nanorods with a nanogap are designed and constructed with the assistance of atomic layer deposition (ALD) for energy storage applications. As a demonstration, CoO nanorods and NiO nanowalls are enclosed by a TiO2 nanotube shell, forming the “wire in tube” and “wall in box” structures, respectively. A thin sacrificial layer of Al2O3 is deposited by ALD and removed eventually, forming a nanogap between the CoO core (or the NiO nanowall) and the TiO2 shell. When they are tested as supercapacitor electrodes, an evident difference between the solid core–shell nanostructure and hollow ones can be found; for example, the hollow structure shows ∼2 to 4 times the capacitance compared to the solid wires. The electrochemical properties are also superior compared to the bare nanorods without the nanotube shell. The enhancement is ascribed to the conformal hollow design which provides enlarged specific surface areas and a shorter ion transport path. It is prospected that such a positive nanogap effect may also exist in other electrochemical cell electrodes such as lithium ion batteries and fuel cells.

Graphical abstract: Hollow core–shell nanostructure supercapacitor electrodes: gap matters

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
11 Jul 2012
Accepted
14 Aug 2012
First published
14 Aug 2012

Energy Environ. Sci., 2012,5, 9085-9090

Hollow core–shell nanostructure supercapacitor electrodes: gap matters

C. Guan, X. Xia, N. Meng, Z. Zeng, X. Cao, C. Soci, H. Zhang and H. J. Fan, Energy Environ. Sci., 2012, 5, 9085 DOI: 10.1039/C2EE22815G

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements