Facile Synthesis of Mn3O4-rGO Nanocomposite As an Efficient Electrode Material for Application in Supercapacitors
In this work, facile synthesis of Mn3O4-reduced graphene oxide (Mn3O4-rGO nanocomposite is presented, in which the reduction of graphene oxide and the nucleation of Mn3O4 on the graphene sheet occur simultaneously with the aid of hydrazine hydrate followed by heat treatment of the precipitate at 400°C in air. The characterization tools prove the formation of Mn3O4-rGO nanocomposite. The average crystallite size is 17 nm. When used as a supercapacitor electrode, the as-prepared Mn3O4-rGO exhibited excellent electrochemical performance with a specific capacitance of 411 F g−1 at a current density of 1 A g−1, high rate capability of 54% retention at 10 A g−1, and good cycling stability (77% capacitance retention even after 3000 cycles). The electrochemical performance of Mn3O4-rGO nanocomposite is further explored by assembling a hybrid supercapacitor device using the Mn3O4-rGO nanocomposite as a positive electrode and an activated carbon as a negative electrode, the assembled-device exhibited the highest energy density of 28.35 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 823 W kg−1, and still showed an energy density of 14.66 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 6597 W kg−1. These findings make the Mn3O4-rGO nanocomposite a potential material for high-performing energy-storage systems.