Controlling the electrochemical activity of dahlia-like β-NiS@rGO by interface polarization.

Transition metal sulfides have become more and more important in the field of energy storage due to their superior chemical and physical properties. Herein, dahlia β-NiS with a rough surface and β-NiS@reduced graphene oxide (rGO) have been green synthesized by a one-step hydrothermal method. The interface characteristics of β-NiS@ rGO composites have been systematically studied by XPS, Raman, and first-principles calculations. It is found that the residual O atoms in the interface and the polarization charge generated by them play an important role in performance enhancement. The NiS@rGO composite material has the best electrochemical performance when the C/O ratio is 6.48. Furthermore, we designed a NiS@rGO//rGO asymmetric supercapacitor with a potential window of 1.7 V. Its excellent energy density and power density demonstrate the advantages of the optimized NiS@rGO electrode. When the power density is 850 W kg, the energy density can reach 40.4 W h kg. Even at a power density of up to 6800 W kg, the energy density can be maintained at 17.6 W h kg. These encouraging results provide a possible pathway for designing asymmetric supercapacitors with ultra-high performance and a feasible strategy for the precise control of electrochemical performance.