One-step hydrothermal synthesis of TiO2 nanowires-reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite for supercapacitor

Graphene oxide (GO) was prepared by a modified Hummers method. TiO2 nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) and NaOH were added into the GO suspension to prepare TiO2 nanowires-reduced GO (TiO2 NWs-rGO) nanocomposite by one-step hydrothermal synthesis. Effects of the initial mass ratio of TiO2 NPs and GO on the morphologies and electrochemical properties of the nanocomposite were investigated in detail. The results show that TiO2 NWs with the length of ~ 10 μm and the diameter of ~ 50 nm are homogeneously distributed on the graphene nanosheets when the initial mass ratio of TiO2 NPs and GO is 1:4. Its specific capacitance of the TiO2 NWs-rGO nanocomposite can reach 572 F·g−1 at 1 A·g−1 in 6 M KOH. Moreover, the nanocomposite exhibits a long-term cycle stability, ~ 84% specific capacitance after 5000 cycles at 10 A·g−1. It suggests that it has potential as an electrode material for high-performance electrochemical supercapacitors.