Fabrication of CuO-decorated reduced graphene oxide nanosheets for supercapacitor applications

Copper oxide(CuO) and CuO/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) films were prepared by using a hydrothermal method. The properties of the films were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The SEM imaging revealed that the CuO film consisted of 10 nm diameter nanoparticles. The XRD pattern and XPS measurements confirmed the formation of the monoclinic phase of CuO. Electrochemical testing revealed that supercapacitors fabricated with CuO-rGO as electrode materials resulted in an four folds increase in capacitance compared to CuO-based supercapacitor due to the deduced graphene restacking and lower electrical resistance between the CuO nanoparticles.