Rationally designed hybrids of NiCo ₂ O ₄ and polymeric carbon nitride as faradaic electrodes with enhanced electrochemical performance

Herein, electrochemically sluggish polymeric carbon nitride (PCN) is successfully introduced into NiCo ₂ O ₄ to form hybrids of NiCo ₂ O ₄ and PCN, in which PCN nanosheets are regarded as a substrate to promote the nucleation and subsequent in-situ growth of NiCo ₂ O ₄ nanosheets. The surface of as-prepared hybrids are rich in Ni and Co ions in low and high valence state, respectively. In addition, the hybrids exhibit more hydrophilic compared with that of pristine NiCo ₂ O ₄ due to its higher amounts of hydroxyl group. It has been found that the nitrogen species originated from PCN nanosheets tend to bond with the metal ions and electrolyte used, resulting in tuning the electronic structural states and coupling effects with NiCo ₂ O ₄ nanosheets. Owing to these structural characteristics, the electrochemical performance as faradaic electrode materials and long-term stability of optimized hybrid is much superior to the bare NiCo ₂ O ₄ nanosheets.