Surfactant effect on energy storage performance of hydrothermally synthesized Ni 3 V 2 O 8 .

We report a study to improve the ternary oxide Ni 3 V 2 O 8 's electrochemical energy storage capabilities through correct surfactanization during hydrothermal synthesis. In this study, Ni 3 V 2 O 8 nanomaterials were synthesized in three different forms: one with a cationic surfactant (CTAB), one with an anionic surfactant (SLS), and one without any surfactant. FESEM study reveals that all the synthesized Ni 3 V 2 O 8 nanomaterials had a small stone-like morphology. The electrochemical study showed that anionic surfactant-assisted Ni 3 V 2 O 8 (NVSLS) had a maximum of 972 F g -1 specific capacitance at 1 A g -1 current density, whereas cationic surfactant-assisted Ni 3 V 2 O 8 (NV CTAB ) had the lowest specific capacitance of 162 F g -1 . The specific capacitance and the capacitance retention of the NV SLS (85% after 4000 cycles) based electrode was much better than that of the NV CTAB (76% after 4000 cycles) based electrode. The improved energy storage properties of the NV SLS electrode are attributed to its high diffusion coefficient, high surface area, and enriched elemental nickel, as compared to the NV CTAB electrode. All these excellent electrochemical properties of NV SLS electrode indicates their potential usage in asymmetric supercapacitor application.