A green dual complexation precipitation synthesis of hierarchical α-Ni(OH)2 microspheres and their electrochemical performance

The ever-growing demand for energy has greatly stimulated recent researches on developing high-performance materials for nickel-based rechargeable batteries. However, the practical applications of Nickel-base batteries are largely hindered due to lack of high power density and long lifespan of their cathode materials, β-Ni(OH)2. Here, Al-doped α-Ni(OH)2 microspheres comprising densely packed irregular nano sheets have been synthesized via a dual complexation-precipitation (DCP) method. The resulting electrode offers a large specific capacity of 457.9 mAh g−1 at remarkably high rate of 500 mA g−1, which is 47.0% larger than that for β-Ni(OH)2 under the same conditions. In addition, the electrode still keeps 87.0% of the initial capacity after 2000 cycles, displaying excellent cycling performance. The outstanding electrochemical performance benefits from the synergistic contribution of the doped metal ions and the unique hierarchical structure.