One-step Preparation of Binder-free Nickel Containing Graphene Foam Electrode for Supercapacitors

A nickel hydroxide (Ni(OH) 2 )-modified reduced graphene oxide (rGO) foam electrode for supercapacitor application is presented in this study. The electrode was made without binder through a one step process. In order to compare the supercapacitor performance of as synthesized graphene foam electrode, rGO and rGO:carbon black (CB) standard electrodes with PVDF-HFP binder were also synthesized . All electrodes were then characterized structurally (XPS, EDS, RAMAN, XRD, and FT-IR) and morphologically (SEM). Ni-containing electrodes were found in the α-Ni(OH)2:rGO structure. NirGO3 has 800 Fg -1 capacitance, while rGO:CB has 900. Thus NirGO3 has the best capacitive performance among binder-free electrodes, comparable to rGO:CB.