Metal Oxide-Vertical Graphene Nanosheets for 2.6 V Aqueous Electrochemical Hybrid Capacitor

TL;DR

This study presents a novel synthesis of MnO2/Vertical Graphene Nanosheets and Fe2O3/VGN electrodes for aqueous hybrid capacitors, achieving high charge storage, stability, and energy density suitable for portable energy storage applications.

Contribution

The paper introduces a new method to synthesize metal oxide-decorated vertical graphene nanosheets with enhanced electrochemical performance for capacitors.

Findings

250 times higher charge-storage capacity than bare VGN

Specific capacitance of 118 and 151 mF/cm2 for MnO2/VGN and Fe2O3/VGN

Stable operation over 12,000 cycles at 2.6 V

Abstract

Aqueous asymmetric electrochemical capacitor, with their high power density and superior cycle stability in comparison to conventional batteries, are presently considered as the most promising contender for energy storage. However, fabricating an electrode material and choosing a suitable aqueous electrolyte are vital in developing an electrochemical capacitor device with high charge storage capacity. Herein, we report a feasible method to synthesize MnO2/Vertical graphene nanosheets (VGN) and Fe2O3/VGN as positive and negative electrodes, respectively. The surface of VGN skeleton is independently decorated with MnO2 having sponge gourd-like morphology and Fe2O3 having nanorice like morphology. A schematic representation of the growth mechanism for metal oxide on VGN network is established. Both the electrode have shown around 250 times higher charge-storage capacity than the bare VGN (0.47 mF/cm2) with the specific capacitance of 118 (MnO2/VGN) and 151 mF/cm2 (Fe2O3/VGN). In addition to the double layer capacitance contribution, the porous interconnected vertical graphene architecture serves as a mechanical backbone for the metal oxide materials and provides multiple conducting channels for the electron transport. The fabricated asymmetric device exhibited a specific capacitance of 76 mF/cm2 and energy density of 71 microWh/cm2 with an excellent electrochemical stability up to 12000 cycles, over a potential window of 2.6 V. The commendable performance of asymmetric electrochemical capacitor device authenticated its potential utilization for next-generation portable energy storage device.