High-performance nickel sulfide modified electrode material from single-source precursor for energy storage application

High-performance energy storage electrode materials are emerging demand in near future for the construction of supercapacitor with high energy and power densities. Herein, Nickel (II) Diethyldithiocarbamate was used as single-source precursor for Nickel Sulfide (Ni9S8) two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets (NSs) preparation and hexadecylamine as shape directing agent via simple solvothermal method. The orthorhombic structure of Ni9S8 NSs was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images revealed that as-prepared Ni9S8 nanoparticles possess sheet-like morphology. Besides, the thermal stability of Ni(DTC)(2) complex was studied by Thermogravimetric/Derivative Thermogravimetric (TG/DTG) with differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) analysis. The electrochemical properties of Ni9S8 NSs was studied using galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) techniques. From the charge-discharge study of Ni9S8 NSs, a high specific capacitance of 281 Fg(-1) was obtained at a current density of 1 Ag-1 and up to 82% retentivity was achieved after 5000 cycles. Thus, the prepared Ni9S8 NSs could be the one of the attractive potential active electrode materials for the application of supercapacitor.