Pseudocapacitive metal hydroxide nanostructures are promising active electrode materials for supercapacitor applications. Here, we demonstrate the in-situ growth of nickel hydroxide (Ni(OH)₂) nanostructures on filamentous M13 bacteriophage template. The M13-Ni(OH)₂ bio-nanostructure exhibits a fibrous morphology and a preferential growth orientation along the (001) crystal plane. Interestingly, the M13-Ni(OH)₂ electrode demonstrates superior electrochemical properties. The areal capacitance (C_a) of M13-Ni(OH)₂ and Ni(OH)₂ electrodes was 18 mF/cm² and 14 mF/cm², respectively, indicating a 28% increase. The improved electrochemical performance is due to increased surface roughness, enhanced charge adsorption/desorption sites, and reduced charge transfer resistance. This also contributed to an 18% increase in cyclic stability compared to the Ni(OH)₂ electrode analogue. Overall, this work successfully shows the use of a bio-template to control the growth of novel metal-oxide nanostructures for energy storage applications.

Received December 18, 2023;

http://journal.polymer-korea.or.kr/journal/archive/view/4442