Metal hydroxychloride for Superior Electrochemical Supercapacitors

Co2(OH)3Cl xerogel interconnected mesoporous structures have been prepared by a facile one pot sol-gel process and heat treated at 200 ºC and 400 ºC. All samples are studied for their morphology, structure and electrochemical stability upon cycling. The specific capacitance of the as-prepared Co2(OH)3Cl from single electrode study is 450 F/g, when the electrodes are cycled in 3 M KOH at a specific current 2 A/g. Interestingly, capacity retention after 500 and 1000 cycles is about 92% and 75%, respectively. Sample heated at 200 ºC exhibits 308 F/g at 2 A/g and that heated at 400 ºC shows only 32 F/g at 0.2 A/g. With an increase in preparation temperature, amorphous Co2(OH)3Cl is converted to crystalline Co3O4 phases with lower electrochemical performance. With a significant specific capacity and electrochemical stability, the synthesized material is a novel potential candidate for supercapacitors.