Zr-doped nickel oxide nanostructures: probing the structure and electrochemical properties

In this report, the Zr-doped nickel oxide nanoparticles were successfully synthesized via the chemical co-precipitation method. The obtained nanostructures crystallized into the face-centred cubic structures, with space group Fm-3 m. The decrease in average crystallite size and the spherical grains with less agglomeration was obtained by Zr-doping. The presence of a peak in the FT-IR spectra at 494 cm −1 confirmed the formation of the NiO phase. An increase in bandgap energy in doped nanostructures is due to the Burstein–Moss shift. By Zr-doping, the reduction in the saturation magnetization was observed in NiO nanoparticles. The cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge–discharge measurements were used to evaluate the electrochemical properties of the prepared electrodes. For the 6% Zr-doped NiO electrode, a larger specific capacitance (735 Fg −1 ) was obtained, compared to the pure NiO (588 Fg −1 ) at a scan rate of 10 mVs −1 . In the same electrode, an energy storage density of 15 Whkg −1 at a power density of 370 Wkg −1 was obtained. In conclusion, the Zr-doped NiO nanostructures having small crystallite and grain size, with improved electrochemical properties and the superior energy storage density, are potential electrode materials for energy storage devices.