α-Co(OH)2 nanoplates with excellent supercapacitive performance: Electrochemical preparation and characterization

A simple and facile galvanostatic deposition route is proposed to prepare pure α-Co(OH)2 nanoplates. The XRD and FTIR analyses confirmed that this method leads to the production of pure α phase of Co(OH)2. Morphological observations by SEM and TEM revealed that the product has a plate texture with sizes in the range of 100-200 nm. Electrochemical evaluation by cyclic voltammetry and chronopotentiometry in 1 M KOH solution revealed that α-Co(OH)2 nanoplates have excellent supercapacitive behavior. The specific capacitance of 781.1 F g−1 was obtained at the current density of 10 A g−1, and only 10% decrease was observed after 3000 discharge cycles. These results suggest the potential application of the prepared α-Co(OH)2 nanoplates in electrochemical supercapacitors.