A new hybrid material consisting of nickel hydroxide and nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide (N-rGO/Ni(OH)(2)) for supercapacitor electrode material is prepared via an easy one-step hydrothermal method, where the reduction and nitrogen doping of graphene oxide (GO) and the in situ formation of Ni(OH)(2) are achieved simultaneously. The results show the improved electrochemical activity of NrGO/Ni(OH)(2) upon nitrogen doping. Moreover, thanks to the positive synergetic effect between N-rGO and Ni(OH)(2), the synthesized N-rGO/Ni(OH)(2) composite shows superior electrochemical performance, including high capacitance, excellent rate capability and good cycle life. Hence, the facile preparation approach in this work will be considered as a new way to obtain metal oxide or hydroxide/N-rGO material which can be used as advanced electrode material in high-performance supercapacitors. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.