One-Pot Hydrothermal Synthesis of Porous α-Ni(OH)2/C Composites and Its Application in Ni/Zn Alkaline Rechargeable Battery

Porous spherical α-Ni(OH)2/C composites were successfully synthesized via an in-situ one-pot hydrothermal method using glucose as carbon source for the first time. By contrast, pure α-Ni(OH)2 was also prepared under the same conditions without glucose. Aging experiments demonstrate that the prepared α-Ni(OH)2/C samples have better stability than the synthesized pure α-Ni(OH)2 toward alkaline medium. Owing to unique α-Ni(OH)2/C composites and ultrahigh surface area the prepared α-Ni(OH)2/C composites deliver a super high specific capacitance of 383 mAh g−1 at current density of 0.8 A g−1 in Ni/Zn aqueous secondary battery and good cycling stability (85% retention after 500 cycles) under three-electrode configuration in 6 M KOH. These suggest that the prepared α-Ni(OH)2/C samples could be a new promising cathode material candidate for Ni/Zn alkaline secondary battery.