Fabrication and Performance of Spherical Ni(OH)2 Electrode Based on Screen Printing

As a kind of energy storage material with great application potential, the actual specific capacitance of Ni(OH)2 is much lower than its theoretical specific capacitance, which is mainly due to poor morphology. Morphology regulation is an effective way to tackle this issue. Herein, spherical Ni(OH)2 was prepared by a modified coprecipitation method, and the effect of urea content on surface morphology was investigated. Subsequently, Ni(OH)2 inks were printed on foamed nickel via a stencil to form the electrodes, and their electrochemical performances were investigated. The results show that urea content has a great influence on the morphology of Ni(OH)2 nanoballs, and the optimal morphology is achieved when the molar of urea and Ni2+ is 10:1. Additional, the screen-printed electrode has a higher specific capacitance (821 F/g) than that of other electrodes, and acceptable capacitance retention of 61.0% is performed after 800 continuous charge/discharge cycles. In conclusion, this paper has proposed a new route for preparing the Ni(OH)2 nanoball with a controllable shape, and the combination of screen printing can realize the electrode production on a large scale, which is conducive to promoting the application and development of energy storage materials and printed devices.