NiMnCo-LDH in-situ derived from ZIF-67@ZnO as self-supporting electrode for asymmetric supercapacitor device

Metal-organic frameworks have attracted much attention due to their abundant redox sites and tunable characteristics, which are advantageous for energy storage applications. However, the low electrical conductivity, poor physical strength and undesirable capacity seriously hinder their applications. Therefore, designing effective and convenient strategies to build composites with unique structures will be of practical significance. Herein, we successfully generate NMC-LDH/ZnO@CC nanocomposites by growing ortho-hexagonal nickel–cobalt layered double hydroxide (NMC-LDH) nanosheets in-situ on ZIF-67 precursor covering vertical arrays of ZnO nanorods. As a result of the unqiue ortho-hexagonal structure, highly ordered arrangement of active substances and multi-dimensional spaces of the prepared NMC-LDH/ZnO@CC binder-free electrode, its capacitance is as high as 9258 mF cm−2 at a current density of 2 mA cm−2 and the capacitance retention is maintained at 87.5 % after 5000 cycles. Furthermore, in order to explore the practical value of the prepared binder-free electrode, the NMC-LDH/ZnO@CC//AC solid-state asymmetric supercapacitor device is assembled. The energy density of the assembled supercapacitor is 24.6 W h kg−1 at a power density of 170 W kg−1 and 1020 W kg−1 at an energy density of 11.8 W h kg−1. In addition, a versatile instrument for monitoring air humidity, time and ambient temperature in portable environments can be powered by a single ultracapacitor unit for more than 30 min. Overall, this study provides a unique strategy for synthesizing ZIF derivatives with novel morphologies for electrochemical energy storage applications.