Direct growth of AC/ZnS-Ni7S6/Ni(OH)2 on nickel foam as a porous electrode material for high-performance supercapacitors

In this study, an AC/ZnS-Ni7S6/Ni(OH)2 composite with nanoflower structure is synthesized in situ on a nickel foam by three-step hydrothermal method. The thickness of the sample can be controlled by the time of hydrothermal reaction. AC/ZnS-Ni7S6/Ni(OH)2 with excellent electrochemical properties is attributed to the fact that the ultrathin nanoflower structure provides a large number of electrochemical active sites in the electrochemical reaction process, good electrical conductivity and synergy between multiple components. AC/ZnS-Ni7S6/Ni(OH)2 possesses superior electrochemical properties with a maximum specific capacity of 1034.52 C g−1 at a current density of 1 A g−1. The assembled AC/ZnS-Ni7S6/Ni(OH)2//AC hybrid supercapacitor (HSC) device achieves a maximum energy density of 48.99 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 800 W kg−1, and excellent cycle stability with about 90.6% capacitance retention after continual charge/discharge of 3000 cycles. The supercapacitor prepared in this study has potential application prospect in high efficiency energy storage devices.