Synthesis and electrochemical properties of NiO nanospindles

• NiO nanospindles were synthesized without the addition of any surfactant.
• The agglomeration–dissolution–recrystallization growth process was used to explain the precursors’ formation process of the spindle-like NiO.
• As-obtained spindle-like NiO showed a different electrochemical activity as compared to those previous reports.

NiO nanospindles were successfully synthesized via a hydrothermal and post-treatment method. The as-synthesized nanospindles were about several hundred nanometers in width and about one micrometer in length. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed that the spindle-like structure was cubic NiO phase crystalline. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) analysis indicated that these NiO nanospindles were of single crystal nature. On the basis of time-dependent experiments, a possible agglomeration–dissolution–recrystallization growth process was proposed to explain the formation process of the spindle-like precursors. The cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurement showed that the as-prepared spindle-like NiO exhibited a pseudo-capacitance behavior.

NiO nanospindles with a different electrochemical activity as compared to those previous reports were synthesized via an agglomeration–dissolution–recrystallization growth process without the addition of any surfactant.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide