Electrospun Lignin/PAN Carbon Nanofiber-Supported CeO2/NiCo2O4 Nanoflowers as Electrodes for Supercapacitors

To address the global challenge of fossil fuel consumption, a self-supporting supercapacitor electrode material was successfully fabricated to enable efficient utilization of renewable energy. In this study, lignin/polyacrylonitrile (PAN) carbon nanofibers (LCNFs), prepared via electrospinning, served as a conductive scaffold and growth substrate. This enabled the in situ growth of NiCo 2 O 4 and CeO 2 , co-constructing a composite electrode material (denoted as CeO 2 /NiCo 2 O 4 @LCNFs) characterized by a petal-like nanosheet architecture. Results indicate that, compared to LCNFs, this uniquely structured composite enhances the exposure of active sites and facilitates charge and ion transport, thereby leading to significantly improved electrochemical performance. Furthermore, the influence of varying Ce content on the morphology, structure, and electrochemical properties of the composite was investigated. The CeO 2 /NiCo 2 O 4 @LCNFs composite exhibited optimal morphology and electrochemical properties when the Ce addition amount was 0.5 mmol. It delivered a specific capacitance of 643.6 F g -1 (at 0.5 A g -1 ) and maintained a capacitance retention of 82.07% after 5000 cycles at 5 A g -1 . These results demonstrate the promising application potential of this electrode material and offer new perspectives for the development of novel electrode materials.