Synthesis and characterization of NiO nanoparticles for electrochemical applications

Nanosized NiO anode material was synthesized for lithium ion batteries and supercapacitor applications using pyrolysis of an oxalate precursor, which was prepared by a rheological phase reaction from nickel carbonate hydrate and oxalic acid. The obtained material was characterized with X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry–thermogravimetric analysis (DSC–TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transition electron microscopy (TEM). Cyclic voltammetry was conducted to examine the capacitive behavior of working electrodes made from these new NiO nanoparticles. X-ray diffraction results show that the particle size of the nanomaterials increases with increasing calcination temperature. The anode made from NiO at 400 °C shows a higher specific capacity (1188 mAh/g) than the anode made from NiO at 500 °C (1010 mAh/g). The better electrochemical behavior of the material prepared at 400 °C is attributed to higher porosity in the material.