Direct Growth of NiCo2 S4 Nanotube Arrays on Nickel Foam as High-Performance Binder-Free Electrodes for Supercapacitors.

Arrays of NiCo2 S4 nanotubes on nickel foam were prepared by means of a two-step method, and were directly applied as a binder-free supercapacitor electrode. Such a binder-free method enables intimate contact between the current collector and the active materials, and can effectively improve ion and charge transportation. As a result, the electrochemical performances of supercapacitors can be improved. The as-prepared NiCo2 S4 nanotubes/Ni foam electrode shows a high specific capacitance (738 F g-1 at 4 A g-1 ), excellent rate capability (78 % capacitance retention at 32 A g-1 ), and good cycling stability (retention capacity of 93.4 % after 4000 cycles), which suggests its promising application for electrochemical capacitors.