Titanium-doped α-Ni(OH)2 as a cathode material for high-performance nickel-metal hydride batteries
摘要
With high theoretical discharge specific capacity, excellent reversibility of electrochemical reaction, and suitable oxygen evolution overpotential, α-Ni(OH)2 is an auspicious cathode material for alkaline batteries, which supports the development of high-capacity nickel-based batteries. Nevertheless, α-Ni(OH)2 exhibits substandard structural stability and is susceptible to crystalline transformation, leading to capacity degradation, affecting the battery charge/discharge performance and cycle life. In this study, the TiO2-nickel hydroxide (TiO2-α-Ni(OH)2) is prepared by high-energy ball milling. Among them, TiO2 can be uniformly dispersed on the surface of α-Ni(OH)2, which can effectively prevent the collapse of the α-phase structure. Benefiting from the unique elemental doping technology, the TiO2-α-Ni(OH)2 composites as a nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH) battery cathode can release a reversible specific capacity of 390 mAh g−1 at a 2 C rate for 200 cycles. A reversible specific capacity of 210 mAh g−1 is still released after 200 cycles at a 5 C rate. Consequently, TiO2-α-Ni(OH)2 is a promising candidate for high-power Ni-MH batteries.