Co₃O₄@MWCNT nanocable as cathode with superior electrochemical performance for supercapacitors

Using a simple hydrothermal procedure, cobalt oxide (Co₃O₄) with preferred orientation along (220) planes is in situ prepared and coated on MWCNT. The prepared Co₃O₄@MWCNT nanocable shows superior electrochemical performance as cathode material for aqueous supercapacitors in 0.5 M KOH solution. Its redox peaks retain the well-defined shapes even when the scan rate increases to 200 mV/s. Its specific capacitance is high, 590 F/g at 15 A/g and 510 F/g even at 100 A/g within the potential range from -0.2 to 0.58 V (vs SCE). There is no capacitance fading after 2000 full cycles. This excellent performance is superior to the pristine and the reported Co₃O₄, which is ascribed to the unique nanocable structure with orientation.