LAUSR

Abstract Thin layered nanosheets of ZnCo 2 O 4 with desirable porous nanoarchitecture grown on Ni-foam were prepared using a simple surfactant free hydrothermal method. The Ni-foam supported ZnCo 2 O 4 nanostructure was characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). FESEM clearly revealed thin nanosheets which were randomly connected together to form a porous structure. The binder-free Ni-foam supported ZnCo 2 O 4 electrode was applied directly to hybrid supercapacitor analysis. In three electrode measurement, thin layered nanosheets of ZnCo 2 O 4 exhibited a maximum specific capacity of 886 C g −1 at a current density of 2 mA cm −2 . When the current density was increased from 2 to 50 mA cm −2 , the specific capacity value was 362.5 C g −1 . After 2000 continuous charge–discharge cycles, about 94% of the maximum specific capacity was retained. This high specific capacity, better rate capacity, and excellent cyclic stability of thin layered nanosheets of ZnCo 2 O 4 suggest that the prepared electrode is a promising candidate for hybrid supercapacitor applications.