Surfactant effect on energy storage performance of hydrothermally synthesized Ni3V2O8.

We report a study to improve the ternary oxide Ni₃V₂O₈′s electrochemical energy storage capabilities through correct surfactanization during hydrothermal synthesis. In this study, Ni₃V₂O₈ nanomaterials were synthesized in three different forms: one with a cationic surfactant (CTAB), one with an anionic surfactant (SLS), and one without any surfactant. FESEM study reveals that all the synthesized Ni₃V₂O₈ nanomaterials had a small stone-like morphology. The electrochemical study showed that anionic surfactant-assisted Ni₃V₂O₈ (NVSLS) had a maximum of 972 F g⁻¹ specific capacitance at 1 A g⁻¹ current density, whereas cationic surfactant-assisted Ni₃V₂O₈ (NV_CTAB) had the lowest specific capacitance of 162 F g⁻¹. The specific capacitance and the capacitance retention of the NV_SLS (85% after 4000 cycles) based electrode was much better than that of the NV_CTAB (76% after 4000 cycles) based electrode. The improved energy storage properties of the NV_SLS electrode are attributed to its high diffusion coefficient, high surface area, and enriched elemental nickel, as compared to the NV_CTAB electrode. All these excellent electrochemical properties of NV_SLS electrode indicates their potential usage in asymmetric supercapacitor application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]