Controllable synthesis of 3D hierarchical cactus-like ZnCo2O4 films on nickel foam for high-performance asymmetric supercapacitors.

High-performance ternary cobalt-based metal oxides, especially ZnCo 2 O 4 , have attracted increasing attention as promising electrode materials for supercapacitors. However, there are still great challenges for the as-reported ZnCo 2 O 4 materials, such as self-aggregation during repeated discharging-charging process and low packing density. To tackle the above issues, it is envisaged as an efficient strategy to combine the advantages of both hierarchical porous micro/nanostructures and self-supporting electrode to fabricate a free-standing hierarchical micro/nanostructured ZnCo 2 O 4 electrode. Herein we propose an efficient and simple synthetic strategy for the controllable synthesis of self-supporting hierarchical porous cactus-like ZnCo 2 O 4 material directly grown on Ni-foam using a facile hydrothermal method with post-calcination treatment. Furthermore, a growth mechanism is also proposed. The as-prepared cactus-like ZnCo 2 O 4 material possesses unique structural merits, such as hierarchical porous structures, large specific surface area, robust structural stability, and strong connections between the substrate and the ZnCo 2 O 4 active material. The unique cactus-like ZnCo 2 O 4 film electrode displayed excellent electrochemical performance, including a high specific capacity of 1115.7 F g−1 at 1 A g−1 and remarkable long cycle stability with 80.8% capacity retention after 30,000 cycles. A practical asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) device was assembled using cactus-like ZnCo 2 O 4 and active carbon, which showed an excellent energy density of 35.4 Wh kg−1 at high power density of 160.1 W kg−1 and superior cycle stability (62.5% capacity retention after 30,000 cycles at 1 A g−1). All these results show that such hierarchical porous ZnCo 2 O 4 micro/nanostructured films are a promising candidate for high-performance supercapacitors for energy storage application. [Display omitted] • 3D hierarchical porous cactus-like ZnCo 2 O 4 film is grown on Ni foam. • A growth mechanism of the 3D cactus-like ZnCo 2 O 4 film is proposed. • The cactus-like ZnCo 2 O 4 electrode shows 80.8% capacitance retention after 30,000 cycles at 5 A g−1. • The ZnCo 2 O 4 @NF//AC asymmetric supercapacitor exhibits an excellent energy density and power density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]