Facile synthesis of Ni anchored on N-doped carbon nanotube as cathodic electronic conductive agent for thermal battery

•We provide a novel cathodic electronic conductive agent for thermal battery.•The Ni dispersed by bamboo-like N-doped carbon nanotube (Ni/NCNT) was synthesized.•The single cell with Ni/NCNT yields 247 s discharge lifetimes with 1.0 V cutoff.•The Ni/NCNT has an attenuating effect on voltage spike at early stage of discharge. Carbon series material is currently the most prevalent electronic conductive agent of thermal battery cathode. For practical applications, such materials suffer from issues such as light density and low conductivity, which can cause dust pollution and affect formability of electrode. Herein, nickel dispersed by bamboo-like nitrogen-doped carbon nanotube (Ni/NCNT) is conveniently synthesized by pyrolysis of nickel-dicyandiamide complex. Benefiting unique structure and the existence of metallic nickel, the single cell with Ni/NCNT cathodic electronic conductive agent yields a long discharge lifetime, accompanying with outstanding current carrying capacity. Concurrently, the Ni/NCNT presents a certain attenuating voltage spike capacity, and thus improving discharge stability. This study offers a potential alternative to conventional conductive agent and antipeak agent for thermal battery.