Microspherical ZnO synthesized from a metal-organic precursor for supercapacitors

In this paper, ZnO microspheres, which are composed of irregular nanoparticles, have been synthesized successfully from a metal-organic precursor. The average diameter is about 3.5 μm and the specific surface area is 7.53 m² g⁻¹. Measured by electrochemical tests as electrode materials for supercapacitors, the ZnO powders show high specific capacitances (1017.5 Fg⁻¹ at 5 Ag⁻¹ and 562.5 Fg⁻¹ at 50 Ag⁻¹, respectively) and excellent cycling stability (the specific capacitance was kept at 631.2 Fg⁻¹ and 89.2 % retention after 3000 cycles at 18 Ag⁻¹). These results show that the microspherical ZnO could be a potential electrode material for supercapacitors.