Controlled synthesis of MnO2/CNT nanocomposites for supercapacitor applications

Abstract

In this work, manganese oxide (MnO₂)/carbon nanotube (CNT) nanocomposites have been prepared as electrode materials for supercapacitor applications. The materials were synthesised using a traditional and facile chemical deposition method. Effects from CNT amounts, synthesis time, pH value and CNT treatment using nitric acid have been thoroughly investigated. It was found that the sample synthesised for 3 h at pH 5 had achieved the best performance with a specific capacitance of 115 F g^?1 at a discharge rate of 0·5 A g^?1. A capacitance retention of 95% after 1000 cycles has been observed for the sample synthesised in the neutral environment. We believe that findings from this work will pave a road for nanostructured MnO₂/CNT composites with better performance in energy storage applications.