Synthesis of porous Co3O4 nanoflake array and its temperature behavior as pseudo-capacitor electrode

A porous Co3O4 nanoflake array film grown on nickel foam is prepared by a hydrothermal synthesis for pseudo-capacitor application. The pseudocapacitive behavior of the Co3O4 nanoflake array is investigated by cyclic voltammograms (CV), galvanostatic charge-discharge tests and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in 2 M KOH at different temperatures. The specific capacity is 210, 289 and 351 F g−1 at 2 A g−1 tested at −5 °C, 25 °C and 60 °C, respectively, corresponding to that of 184, 243 and 242 F g−1 at 20 A g−1. After 4000 cycles at 2 A g−1, the remaining specific capacity is 187, 342 and 124 F g−1 tested at −5 °C, 25 °C and 60 °C. It shows that with increasing the temperature from −5 °C to 60 °C, the specific capacity increases, while the cycling stability becomes worse. The operation temperature has a pronounced influence on the pseudocapacitive performance of Co3O4 nanoflake array.