Metallic Layered Polyester Fabric Enabled Nickel Selenide Nanostructures as Highly Conductive and Binderless Electrode with Superior Energy Storage Performance

Highly flexible and conductive fabric (CF)-supported cauliflower-like nickel selenide nanostructures (Ni3Se2 NSs) are facilely synthesized by a single-step chronoamperometry voltage-assisted electrochemical deposition (ECD) method and used as a positive electrode in supercapacitors (SCs). The CF substrate composed of multi-layered metallic films on the surface of polyester fibers enables to provide high electrical conductivity as a working electrode in ECD process. Owing to good electrical conductivity, high porosity and intertwined fibrous framework of CF, cauliflower-like Ni3Se2 NSs are densely integrated onto the entire surface of CF (Ni3Se2 NSs@CF) substrate with reliable adhesion by applying a chronoamperometry voltage of −1.0 V for 240 s. The electrochemical performance of the synthesized cauliflower-like Ni3Se2 NSs@CF electrode exhibits a maximum specific capacity (CSC) of 119.6 mA h g−1 at a discharge current density of 2 A g−1 in aqueous 1 m KOH electrolyte solution. Remarkably, the specific capacity of the same electrode is greatly enhanced by introducing a small quantity of redox-additive electrolyte into the aqueous KOH solution, indicating the CSC≈251.82 mA h g−1 at 2 A g−1 with good capacity retention. Furthermore, the assembled textile-based asymmetric SCs achieve remarkable electrochemical performance such as higher energy and power densities, which are able to light up different colored light-emitting diodes.