Batch fabrication of mesoporous boron-doped nickel oxide nanoflowers for electrochemical capacitors

• A new facile liquid-phase method has been employed for synthesis boron-doped NiO nanoflowers.
• The specific surface area of NiO is as high as 200 m2 g−1.
• NiO nanoflowers exhibit a high specific capacitance of ∼1309 F g−1 at a charge and discharge current density of 3 A g−1.
• NiO nanoflowers have excellent cycling ability and even after 2500 cycles there is no significant reduction in specific capacitance.

Boron-doped nickel oxide (B-NiO) nanoflowers are prepared by simple thermal decomposition of nickel hydroxide. B-NiO is porous sphere with a diameter of about 400 nm. B-NiO nanoflowers are composed of approximately 30 nm nanoplates and the thickness of the nanosheets is approximately 3 nm. The specific surface area of the material is as high as 200 m2 g−1 and the pore size distribution curves of B-NiO has three typical peaks in the range of mesoporous (5 nm, 13 nm and 18 nm). As an electrode for supercapacitors, the crystalline B-NiO nanoflowers have favorable characteristics, for instance, a specific capacitance of 1309 F g−1 at a current density of 3 A g−1 and no significant reduction in Coulombic efficiency after 2500 cycles at 37.5 A g−1. This remarkable electrochemical performance will make B-NiO nanoflowers a promising electrode material for high performance supercapacitors.

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