In-situ fabrication of high-performance heterostructure cathode via integration of amorphous-crystalline NiCoP and layered double hydroxide

Coupling two different active components to construct heterogeneous structures has become an effective approach to address issues such as poor electrode material conductivity and sluggish kinetics. Compared to highly crystalline metal compounds with fewer active sites and prone to structural expansion/compression strain, amorphous electrode materials exhibit characteristics such as high surface area, rich active sites, and excellent corrosion resistance. Therefore, introducing amorphous-crystalline coexisting metal compound materials in heterogeneous structures may be a promising design strategy. This study prepared NiCoP (NCP) nanowires with different degrees of crystallinity, confirming that the coexisting amorphous-crystalline NCP (a/c-NCP) exhibited optimal electrochemical performance. Subsequently, a core-shell heterostructure (NPNL) composed of a/c-NCP nanowires and layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanosheets was in situ synthesized on carbon cloth using a simple hydrothermal method. Comprehensive characterization and DFT calculations demonstrate that the amorphous-crystalline heterostructure enhances the conductivity, Faradaic activity, and lifespan of the composite material. The NPNL electrode exhibits remarkable specific capacity of 1506.0 C g−1 and maintains 88.5 % after 8000 charge-discharge cycles. This research on heterogeneous electrodes based on amorphous-crystalline metal compounds provides new insights and technical guidance for next-generation energy storage materials.