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Hierarchical Co–Ni hydroxides integrated with carbon nanotubes via ZIF-67 templates for high-performance supercapacitors
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  • Published: 19 March 2026

Hierarchical Co–Ni hydroxides integrated with carbon nanotubes via ZIF-67 templates for high-performance supercapacitors

  • Mariam Sh. Gohr1,
  • Mohamed Abdel Rafea2,
  • Wael Wazeer3,
  • Sara Gad3,
  • Diaa A. Rayan4,
  • Mohamed H. Eisa2 &
  • …
  • Huda F. Khalil3 

Scientific Reports , Article number:  (2026) Cite this article

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We are providing an unedited version of this manuscript to give early access to its findings. Before final publication, the manuscript will undergo further editing. Please note there may be errors present which affect the content, and all legal disclaimers apply.

Subjects

  • Chemistry
  • Energy science and technology
  • Materials science
  • Nanoscience and technology

Abstract

Supercapacitors but suffer from low specific capacity and poor rate capability due to limited electrical conductivity. Herein, a zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-67) was employed simultaneously as a cobalt source and a sacrificial template to direct the room-temperature hydrolysis of Ni²⁺ ions, leading to the formation of interwoven Co–Ni LDH nanosheets with enhanced electrolyte-electrode interaction and accelerated ion transport. Incorporation of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) markedly improved conductivity and charge-transfer kinetics, with the optimized CNC30 electrode delivering 870 F g⁻¹ at 1 A g⁻¹ and retaining 85% capacitance at 10 A g⁻¹. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy confirmed a significant reduction in charge-transfer resistance from 1.37 Ω to 0.49 Ω upon CNT integration. Further enhancement was achieved by introducing ZIF-67, as CNCZ30 exhibited 902.7 F g⁻¹ at 1 A g⁻¹, with 72% retention at 10 A g⁻¹. Notably, CNCZ30 demonstrated excellent durability, maintaining 96.6% of its initial capacitance after 7000 cycles. These results highlight the synergistic effects of CNTs, LDHs, and ZIF-67 in boosting conductivity, active surface area, and redox activity, positioning Co–Ni LDH/CNT/ZIF-67 composites as promising electrodes for next-generation supercapacitors.

Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported and funded by the Deanship of Scientific Research at Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU) (grant number IMSIU-DDRSP2603).

Funding

This work was supported and funded by the Deanship of Scientific Research at Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU) (grant number IMSIU-DDRSP2603).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Composites and Nanostructured Materials Research Department, Advanced Technology and New Materials Research Institute (ATNMRI), City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications (SRTA-City), Alexandria, 21934, Egypt

    Mariam Sh. Gohr

  2. Department of Physics, College of Science, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), Riyadh, 11623, Saudi Arabia

    Mohamed Abdel Rafea & Mohamed H. Eisa

  3. Electronic Materials Department, Advanced Technology and New Materials Research Institute (ATNMRI), City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications (SRTA-City), Alexandria, 21934, Egypt

    Wael Wazeer, Sara Gad & Huda F. Khalil

  4. Central Metallurgical Research & Development Institute, PO Box: 87, Helwan, 11421, Cairo, Egypt

    Diaa A. Rayan

Authors
  1. Mariam Sh. Gohr
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  2. Mohamed Abdel Rafea
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Contributions

Mariam Sh. Gohr, (Conceptualization; Visualization)Mohamed Abdel Rafea Konsow (Funding acquisition; Project administration; Supervision; Writing – review & editing)Wael Wazeer, (Conceptualization; Data curation; Methodology)Sara Gad, (Conceptualization; Formal analysis; Resources; Software; Writing –original draft)Diaa A Rayan, (Methodology; Resources; Validation)Mohamed H Eisa, (Investigation; Resources; Supervision; Validation)Huda F. Khalil, (Data curation; Formal analysis; Resources; Software; Writing –original draft; Writing – review & editing)

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Mohamed Abdel Rafea or Huda F. Khalil.

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Gohr, M.S., Rafea, M.A., Wazeer, W. et al. Hierarchical Co–Ni hydroxides integrated with carbon nanotubes via ZIF-67 templates for high-performance supercapacitors. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-42472-5

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  • Received: 02 February 2026

  • Accepted: 25 February 2026

  • Published: 19 March 2026

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-42472-5

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Keywords

  • Supercapacitors
  • Cobalt–Nickel layered double hydroxides
  • Zeolitic imidazolate framework-67
  • Carbon nanotubes
  • Energy storage
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