Superior Electrochemical Performance of Pristine Nickel Hexaaminobenzene MOF Supercapacitors Fabricated by Electrophoretic Deposition

Abstract

2 D Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are promising materials for supercapacitor electrodes because of their controllable structure, tunable pore size, and high specific surface area. In this study, the fabrication of pristine MOF nickel hexaaminobenzene Ni3(HAB)2 supercapacitor electrodes by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) was reported. The MOF-based symmetric supercapacitor demonstrated a superior electrochemical capacitive performance over a potential window of 0–1.0 V and displayed an areal capacitance of 13.64 mF cm−2 and a remarkable ultra-high cycling stability with a retention of 81 % over 50 000 cycles. The supercapacitor's outstanding performance was attributed to the binder-free EPD process and to the 2 D MOF nanosheets, which facilitate ion diffusion throughout the electrodes. These promising results demonstrate the potential of using pristine MOFs as the next generation of materials for energy-storage applications.