Engineering of high performance supercapacitor electrode based on Fe-Ni/Fe₂O₃-NiO core/shell hybrid nanostructures

The present work reports on fabrication and supercapacitor applications of a core/shell Fe-Ni/Fe₂O₃-NiO hybrid nanostructures (HNs) electrode. The core/shell Fe-Ni/Fe₂O₃-NiO hybrid nanostructures have been fabricated through a two step method (nanowire fabrication and their controlled oxidation). The 1D hybrid nanostructure consists of highly porous shell layer (redox active materials NiO and Fe₂O₃) and the conductive core (FeNi nanowire). Thus, the highly porous shell layer allows facile electrolyte diffusion as well as faster redox reaction kinetics; whereas the conductive FeNi nanowire core provides the proficient express way for electrons to travel to the current collector, which helps in the superior electrochemical performance. The core/shell Fe-Ni/Fe₂O₃-NiO hybrid nanostructures electrode based supercapacitor shows very good electrochemical performances in terms of high specific capacitance nearly 1415 F g⁻¹ at a current density of 2.5 A g⁻¹, excellent cycling stability and rate capability. The high quality electrochemical performance of core/shell hybrid nanostructures electrode shows its potential as an alternative electrode for forthcoming supercapacitor devices.