Unveiling the effect of nickel clusters in ammonium-ion energy storage
*Correspondence to:
Jing Yu, Catalonia Institute for Energy Research (IREC), Sant Adrià de Besòs 08930, Spain.
E-mail: jyu@irec.cat
Qiaoyun Qin, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University of Technology, Chongqing 400054, China. E-mail: qinqy@cqut.edu.cn
Xiaohong Wang, Xiamen Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials and Advanced Manufacturing, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Huaqiao University, Xiamen 361021, Fujian, China. E-mail: xhwang@hqu.edu.cn
Andreu Cabot, Catalonia Institute for Energy Research (IREC), Sant Adrià de Besòs 08930, Spain. E-mail: acabot@irec.cat
Qiaoyun Qin, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University of Technology, Chongqing 400054, China. E-mail: qinqy@cqut.edu.cn
Xiaohong Wang, Xiamen Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials and Advanced Manufacturing, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Huaqiao University, Xiamen 361021, Fujian, China. E-mail: xhwang@hqu.edu.cn
Andreu Cabot, Catalonia Institute for Energy Research (IREC), Sant Adrià de Besòs 08930, Spain. E-mail: acabot@irec.cat
Smart Mater Devices. 2027;3:202649. 10.70401/smd.2026.0068
Received: August 05, 2026Accepted: November 11, 2026Published: November 12, 2026
This manuscript is made available in its unedited form to allow early access to the
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Abstract
Ammonium-ion (NH4+) supercapacitors are attractive for safe, low-cost energy storage, yet their progress is limited by modest rate capability and an incomplete picture of hydrogen-bond-mediated charge storage. Here, we report a carbon derived from zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) hosting ultrasmall Ni clusters (ZnC@Ni) that overcomes both hurdles. Relative to the corresponding Ni-free carbon (ZnC), ZnC@Ni exhibits a ~98.0% increase in specific capacitance, ~16.0% improvement in rate capability, and 93.4% capacitance retention after 10,000 cycles in a three-electrode configuration. Symmetric devices assembled from ZnC@Ni deliver 81.9 Wh kg-1 at 922.5 W kg-1 and retain 92.7% of their initial capacitance after 10,000 cycles. Electrochemical comparisons support improved charge-transfer behavior following Ni incorporation, while ab initio calculations suggest more favorable NH4+ adsorption on the modeled ZnC@Ni surface. The calculated NH4+-water association also suggests that its affinity for water may favor hydration-shell recovery following desorption into the electrolyte. These findings establish Ni-cluster-carbon architectures as an effective route to activate hydrogen-bond-assisted charge storage in NH4+ supercapacitors and provide a mechanistic framework for designing high-rate, durable aqueous supercapacitors.
Keywords
Ni cluster, ammonium-ion supercapacitors, hydrogen-bonding mechanism, rate performance
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Daia J, Yang C, Zhang J, Yu J, Ma Y, Qi X, et al. Unveiling the effect of nickel clusters in ammonium-ion energy storage. Smart Mater Devices. 2027;3:202649. https://doi.org/10.70401/smd.2026.0068
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Daia J, Yang C, Zhang J, Yu J, Ma Y, Qi X, et al. Unveiling the effect of nickel clusters in ammonium-ion energy storage. Smart Mater Devices. 2027;3:202649. https://doi.org/10.70401/smd.2026.0068
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