Electrochemical Energy Storage with Nickel Hydroxide-Based Materials
Summary
Nickel hydroxide (Ni(OH)₂) has established itself as a pivotal battery-type electrode material for aqueous energy storage devices, combining high theoretical capacitance with cost-effective raw materials. Its charge storage arises from reversible redox reactions between Ni(II) and Ni(III) oxidation states, enabling both fast surface pseudocapacitance and bulk faradaic processes. Advances in morphology control—from nanosheets and flower-like architectures to core-shell networks—have enhanced active surface area, reduced ion diffusion paths and improved electrical conductivity when paired with conductive hosts. Strategies such as intercalation of metal ions or anionic species, coupling with carbon nanostructures and tuning interlayer spacing have driven capacity closer to theoretical limits while preserving cycle stability. These nickel hydroxide systems find crucial applications in hybrid supercapacitors and aqueous batteries, offering a sustainable route for grid stabilisation, renewable integration and high-power portable devices. Continued progress hinges on balancing energy and power densities through hierarchical design, binder-free electrodes and scalable synthesis methods.
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Electrochemical Energy Storage with Nickel Hydroxide-Based Materials publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in electrochemical energy storage with nickel hydroxide-based materials across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Specific capacity: The charge stored per unit mass of active material, often expressed in C g⁻¹ or mAh g⁻¹.
Pseudocapacitance: Charge storage via fast, reversible surface redox reactions that mimic double-layer behaviour.
Faradaic process: Electron-transfer reaction involving a change in oxidation state of the electrode material.
Theoretical capacity: Maximum charge storage predicted based on full utilisation of redox-active species.
Interlayer spacing: Distance between adjacent crystalline layers in a material, affecting ion diffusion and storage sites.
Hybrid supercapacitor: An energy storage device combining a battery-type electrode (e.g., Ni(OH)₂) with a capacitive electrode (e.g., activated carbon) to achieve both high energy and power density.
References
- Electrochemical Activation‐Induced Structural Transformation in Ni(OH)2/Ti3C2Tx/NF Systems with Enhanced Electrochemical Performance for Hybrid Supercapacitors. Energy & Environmental Materials (2023).
- Mesoporous Cubic Nanocages Assembled by Coupled Monolayers With 100% Theoretical Capacity and Robust Cycling. ACS Central Science (2024).
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