Homogeneous reduced graphene oxide supported NiO-MnO2 ternary hybrids for electrode material with improved capacitive performance

Reduced Graphene Oxide-Sodium Manganese Oxide Nanowire Nanocomposite Aerogels for Asymmetric Supercapacitors: Impact of Composite Concentration

Transition metal oxides are considered potential candidates for supercapacitor electrodes but often suffer from lower ionic diffusivity and poor electronic conductivity. Addressing these challenges requires the development of electrode materials with well-engineered architectures and precise designs. This research focused on fabricating nanocomposites by combining one-dimensional (1D) sodium manganese oxide (Na0.4MnO2) nanowires (NMO NWs) with a three-dimensional (3D) reduced graphene oxide aerogel (RGA). The NMO NWs are aligned and interconnected within the graphene layers, forming a 3D NMO/RGA composite (NRGA) matrix with excellent integration. NMO NWs increase the nanocomposite surface area by acting as spacers between graphene layers. The percentage of NMO NWs significantly influences the structural properties of the electrode, thereby affecting its supercapacitor performance. Notably, the RGA composite with a 40% loading of NMO NWs (N4RGA) achieved a specific capacitance of 576 F g-1 at 6 mA cm-1. The fabricated asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) device demonstrated a potential of 1.8 V and achieved an energy density of 48.58 Wh kg-1 at a power density of 222.2 W kg-1, along with excellent cyclability. This study highlights a pathway for developing aerogel-based nanocomposites by integrating nanomaterials of varying dimensions, offering potential for advanced energy storage applications.

Optical and electrochemical performance of electrospun NiO-Mn3O4 nanocomposites for energy storage applications

NiO-Mn3O4 ribbons were synthesized through electrospinning and subsequently compared with NiO nanoparticles and Mn3O4 octahedral particles to evaluate their optical and electrochemical properties. XRD analysis confirmed the presence of cubic and tetragonal phases of NiO and Mn3O4, respectively, within the nanocomposite. UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) revealed a bandgap of 3.53 eV for the nanocomposite, while photoluminescence emission quenching indicated an enhancement in surface defects. The ribbons exhibited superior electrochemical performance, achieving a specific capacitance of 372 F g-1 at a current density of 1 A g-1, along with 94% capacitance retention after 3000 cycles at 7 A g-1. Furthermore, the assembled NiO-Mn3O4//AC asymmetric supercapacitor device exhibited a maximum energy density of 40 Wh kg-1 at a power density of 2400 W kg-1. These findings suggest that NiO-Mn3O4 ribbons hold significant promise for high-performance energy storage devices.

Defective core-shell NiCo2S4/MnO2 nanocomposites for high performance solid-state hybrid supercapacitors

The roles of oxygen vacancies to enhance the electrochemical performance were not clearly explained in comprehensive research. Herein, the vertically oriented NiCo₂S₄/MnO₂ core-shell nanocomposites are in situ grown on the nickel foam (NF) surface and activated by oxygen vacancy engineering via a chemical reduction method. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) results show the shell-MnO₂ is well coated on the core-NiCo₂S₄. The hierarchical core-shell nanostructures synergistically increase conductivity and provide rich faradaic redox chemical reactions. Moreover, the density functional theory (DFT) calculations further indicate that the electronic properties and structure properties in NiCo₂S₄/MnO₂ electrode of reduction for 60 min (NiCo₂S₄/MnO₂-60) are effectively adjusted by introducing oxygen vacancies. Impressively, the NiCo₂S₄/MnO₂-60 electrode delivers substantially appreciable areal capacity of 2.13 mAh·cm^-2 couple with superior rate capability. The as-prepared high-performance electrode material can assemble into solid-state hybrid supercapacitor. The fabricated NiCo₂S₄/MnO₂-60//AC device exhibits an exceptional energy density of 43.16 Wh·kg^-1 at a power density of 384.21 W·kg^-1 and satisfactory cyclic stability of 92.1 % at current density of 10 mA·cm^-2 after 10,000 cycles. In general, the work demonstrates the significance of NiCo₂S₄/MnO₂-60 as a highly redox active electrode material for future practical application in supercapacitors.

Construction of porous carbon-based magnetic composites derived from iron zinc bimetallic metal-organic framework as broadband and high-efficiency electromagnetic wave absorbers

The fabrication of broadband and high-efficiency electromagnetic (EM) wave absorbers remains a huge challenge. Metal-organic framework (MOF) with large porosity and high specific surface area has been considered as a promising precursor for the preparation of novel EM wave absorbers. In this work, porous carbon-based magnetic composites derived from iron zinc bimetallic MOF were prepared by the two-step method of solvothermal reaction and high-temperature pyrolysis. Results of micromorphology analysis demonstrated that the morphology of carbon frameworks evolved from octahedron, polyhedron, sphere to porous sphere-like shape with the increase of pyrolysis temperature. Furthermore, the EM parameters and absorbing properties of obtained composites were regulated through simply changing the pyrolysis temperature. It was noteworthy that the as-prepared Fe₃O₄/C composite pyrolyzed at 700 °C exhibited the best EM absorption performance. The minimum reflection loss was as large as -60 dB and broad absorption bandwidth reached up to 4 GHz (8-12 GHz, covering the whole X band) at a matching thickness of 2.5 mm and a filler loading ratio of 40 wt%. Furthermore, the maximum absorption bandwidth could be enlarged to 5.4 GHz via reducing the matching thickness to 1.85 mm. Additionally, the probable EM attenuation mechanisms of attained composites were proposed. The results of this study would provide a reference for the preparation of porous carbon-based composites as broadband and high-efficiency EM wave absorbers.

Microwave assisted synthesis of Mn3O4 nanograins intercalated into reduced graphene oxide layers as cathode material for alternative clean power generation energy device

Mn₃O₄ nanograins incorporated into reduced graphene oxide as a nanocomposite electrocatalyst have been synthesized via one-step, facile, and single-pot microwave-assisted hydrothermal technique. The nanocomposites were employed as cathode material of fuel cells for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The synthesized product was thoroughly studied by using important characterization, such as XRD for the structure analysis and FESEM and TEM analyses to assess the morphological structures of the material. Raman spectra were employed to study the GO, rGO bands and formation of Mn₃O₄@rGO nanocomposite. FTIR and UV–Vis spectroscopic analysis were used to verify the effective synthesis of the desired electrocatalyst. The Mn₃O₄@rGO-10% nanocomposite with 10 wt% of graphene oxide was used to alter the shiny surface of the working electrode and applied for ORR in O₂ purged 0.5 M KOH electrolyte solution. The Mn₃O₄@rGO-10% nanocomposite electrocatalyst exhibited outstanding performance with an improved current of − 0.738 mA/cm² and shifted overpotential values of − 0.345 V when compared to other controlled electrodes, including the conventionally used Pt/C catalyst generally used for ORR activity. The tolerance of Mn₃O₄@rGO-10% nanocomposite was tested by injecting a higher concentration of methanol, i.e., 0.5 M, and found unsusceptible by methanol crossover. The stability test of the synthesized electrocatalyst after 3000 s was also considered, and it demonstrated excellent current retention of 98% compared to commercially available Pt/C electrocatalyst. The synthesized nanocomposite material could be regarded as an effective and Pt-free electrocatalyst for practical ORR that meets the requirement of low cost, facile fabrication, and adequate stability.

Effect of Hydrothermal Method Temperature on the Spherical Flowerlike Nanostructures NiCo(OH)4-NiO

NiCo(OH)4-NiO composite electrode materials were prepared using hydrothermal deposition and electrophoretic deposition. NiCo(OH)4 is spherical and flowerlike, composed of nanosheets, and NiO is deposited on the surface of NiCo(OH)4 in the form of nanorods. NiCo(OH)4 has a large specific surface area and can provide more active sites. Synergistic action with NiO deposits on the surface can provide a higher specific capacitance. In order to study the influence of hydrothermal reaction temperature on the properties of NiCo(OH)4, the prepared materials of NiCo(OH)4-NiO, the hydrothermal reaction temperatures of 70 °C, 90 °C, 100 °C, and 110 °C were used for comparison. The results showed that the NiCo(OH)4-NiO-90 specific capacitance of the prepared electrode material at its maximum when the hydrothermal reaction temperature is 90 °C. The specific capacitance of the NiCo(OH)4-NiO-90 reaches 2129 F g−1 at the current density of 1 A g−1 and remains 84% after 1000 charge–discharge cycles.

Microwave as a Tool for Synthesis of Carbon-Based Electrodes for Energy Storage

This Spotlight on Applications highlights the significant impact of microwave-assisted methods for synthesis and modification of carbon materials with enhanced properties for electrodes in energy storage applications (supercapacitors and batteries). For the past few years, microwave irradiation has been increasingly used for the synthesis of carbon materials with different morphologies using various precursors. Microwave processing exhibits numerous advantages, such as short processing times, high yield, expanded reaction conditions, high reproducibility, and high purity of products. On this frontier research area, we have discussed microwave-assisted synthesis, defect creation, simultaneous reduction and exfoliation, and heteroatom doping in carbon materials. By careful manipulation of microwave irradiation parameters, the method becomes a powerful and efficient tool to generate different morphologies in carbon-based materials. Other important outcomes are the flexible control over the degree of reduction and exfoliation of graphene derivatives, the generation of defects in graphene-based materials by metals, the intercalation of metal oxides into graphene derivatives, and heteroatom doping of graphene materials. The Spotlight on Applications aims to provide a condensed overview of the current progress in carbon-based electrodes synthesized by microwave, pointing out outstanding challenges and offering a few suggestions to trigger more research endeavors in this important field.

Synthesis of hierarchical porous nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide/zinc ferrite composite foams as ultrathin and broadband microwave absorbers

Magnetic graphene foams with three-dimensional (3D) porous structure, low bulk density and multiple electromagnetic loss mechanisms have been widely recognized as the potential candidates for lightweight and high-efficiency microwave attenuation. Herein, zinc ferrite hollow microspheres decorated nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide (NRGO/ZnFe₂O₄) composite foams were prepared via a solvothermal and hydrothermal two-step method. Results demonstrated that the attained magnetic composite foams possessed the ultralow bulk density (12.9-13.5 mg·cm^-3) and 3D hierarchical porous netlike structure constructed through stacking of lamellar NRGO. Moreover, the microwave dissipation performance of binary composite foams could be notably improved through annealing treatment and further elaborately regulating the annealing temperature. Remarkably, the attained composite foam with the annealing temperature of 300.0 °C presented the integrated excellent microwave attenuation capacity, i.e. the strongest reflection loss reached -40.2 dB (larger than 99.99% absorption) and broadest bandwidth achieved 5.4 GHz (from 12.4 GHz to 17.8 GHz, covering 90.0% of Ku-band) under an ultrathin thickness of only 1.48 mm. Furthermore, the probable microwave dissipation mechanisms were illuminated, which derived from the optimized impedance matching, strengthened dipole polarization, interfacial polarization and multiple reflection, notable conduction loss, natural resonance and eddy current loss. Results of this work would pave the way for developing graphene-based 3D lightweight and high-efficiency microwave absorption composites.

Fabrication of bimetallic metal-organic frameworks derived cobalt iron alloy@carbon-carbon nanotubes composites as ultrathin and high-efficiency microwave absorbers

Developing lightweight and high-efficiency microwave absorbents derived from metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) was proven to be a promising strategy to solve the increasingly serious problem of electromagnetic radiation pollution. In this work, nitrogen-doped cobalt iron alloy@carbon-carbon nanotubes (CoFe alloy@C-CNTs) composites were fabricated through an aging and pyrolysis two-step method. Results revealed that the attained composites presented a unique four-pointed star morphology and lots of CoFe alloy nanoparticles were uniformly embedded into the porous carbon matrix. Moreover, it was found that the pyrolysis temperature had a notable effect on the microwave absorption properties of CoFe alloy@C-CNTs composites. Remarkably, the obtained composite under 700.0 °C pyrolysis treatment showed the optimal minimum reflection loss of -54.5 dB with an ultrathin thickness of 1.4 mm and maximum effective absorption bandwidth of 5.0 GHz at a low thickness of 1.6 mm. Additionally, the possible electromagnetic attenuation loss mechanisms of attained composites were illuminated. It was believed that our results could be helpful for fabricating ultrathin and high-performance microwave absorbing materials derived from MOFs.

N-Doped celery-based biomass carbon with tunable Co3O4 loading for enhanced-performance of solid-state supercapacitors

N-doped celery-based biomass carbon with tunable Co3O4 loading is prepared and shows enhanced specific capacitance.

A, Choe Y. A novel β-MnO2 and carbon nanotube composite with potent electrochemical properties synthesized using a microwave-assisted method for use in supercapacitor electrodes

In this work, we report the synthesis of a novel β-MnO2/CNT nanocomposite with good electrical conductivity for high-performance supercapacitors via a microwave-assisted method.

Synthesis of three-dimensional porous netlike nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide/cerium oxide composite aerogels towards high-efficiency microwave absorption

Three-dimensional (3D) graphene aerogels with porous structure and lightweight feature have been regarded as promising candidates for microwave attenuation. Herein, nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide/cerium oxide (NRGO/CeO₂) composite aerogels were fabricated via a hydrothermal route. The obtained composite aerogels possessed low bulk density and unique 3D porous netlike structure constructed by the stacking of lamellar NRGO. Moreover, it was found that the microwave dissipation performance of NRGO aerogel could be notably improved through complexing with CeO₂ nanoparticles and carefully regulating the contents of CeO₂ in the composite aerogels. Remarkably, the attained NRGO/CeO₂ composite aerogel with the content of CeO₂ of 44.11 wt% presented the comprehensively excellent microwave attenuation capacity, i.e. the optimal reflection loss reached -50.0 dB (larger than 99.999% absorption) at a thickness of 4.0 mm and wide bandwidth achieved 5.7 GHz (from 12.3 GHz to 18.0 GHz, covering 95.0% of Ku-band) under an ultrathin thickness of only 1.9 mm. Furthermore, the probable microwave dissipation mechanisms of as-synthesized composite aerogels were clarified, which included the optimized impedance matching, strengthened interfacial polarization and dipole polarization relaxation, notable oxygen vacancy effect and enhanced conduction loss. This work could shed light on developing graphene-based 3D broadband microwave absorption composites.

Enhancement of photocatalytic by Mn3O4 spinel ferrite decorated graphene oxide nanocomposites

Abstract

The hydrothermal process was used to prepare Mn3O4/x%GO nanocomposites (NC’s) having different ratios of the Mn3O4 nanoparticles (NP’s) on the surface of graphene oxide (GO) sheet. SEM image showed that the Mn3O4 NP’s were distributed over the surface of GO sheet. HRTEM images exhibited the lattice fringe arising from the (101) plane of the Mn3O4 NP’s having the interplanar d-spacing of 0.49 nm decorating on the surface of GO. The electronic absorption spectra of Mn3O4/x%GO NC’s also show broad bands from 250 to 550 nm. These bands arise from the d–d crystal field transitions of the tetrahedral Mn3+ species and indicate a distortion in the crystal structure. Photo-catalytic activity of spinel ferrite Mn3O4 NP’s by themselves was low but photo-catalytic activity is enhanced when the NP’s are decorating the GO sheet. Moreover, the Mn3O4/10%GO NC’s showed the best photo-catalytic activity. This result comes from the formation of Mn–O–C bond that confirm by FT-IR. This bond would facilitate the transfer of the photoelectrons from the surfaces of the NP’s to the GO sheets. PL emission which is in the violet–red luminescent region shows the creation of defects in the fabricated Mn3O4 NP’s nanostructures. These defects create the defect states to which electrons in the VB can be excited to when the CB. The best degradation efficiency was achieved by the Mn3O4 NP’s when they were used to decorate the GO sheets in the Mn3O4/10%GO NC’s solution.

Highlights

Graphic abstract

A Hierarchical Architecture of Functionalized Polyaniline/Manganese Dioxide Composite with Stable-Enhanced Electrochemical Performance

As one of the most outstanding high-efficiency and environmentally friendly energy storage devices, the supercapacitor has received extensive attention across the world. As a member of transition metal oxides widely used in electrode materials, manganese dioxide (MnO2) has a huge development potential due to its excellent theoretical capacitance value and large electrochemical window. In this paper, MnO2 was prepared at different temperatures by a liquid phase precipitation method, and polyaniline/manganese dioxide (PANI/MnO2) composite materials were further prepared in a MnO2 suspension. MnO2 and PANI/MnO2 synthesized at a temperature of 40 °C exhibit the best electrochemical performance. The specific capacitance of the sample MnO2-40 is 254.9 F/g at a scanning speed of 5 mV/s and the specific capacitance is 241.6 F/g at a current density of 1 A/g. The specific capacitance value of the sample PANI/MnO2-40 is 323.7 F/g at a scanning speed of 5 mV/s, and the specific capacitance is 291.7 F/g at a current density of 1 A/g, and both of them are higher than the specific capacitance value of MnO2. This is because the δ-MnO2 synthesized at 40 °C has a layered structure, which has a large specific surface area and can accommodate enough electrolyte ions to participate the electrochemical reaction, thus providing sufficient specific capacitance.

Synthesis of ultralight three-dimensional nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide/multi-walled carbon nanotubes/zinc ferrite composite aerogel for highly efficient electromagnetic wave absorption

Developing light-weight, thin thickness and high-efficiency electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorbers was regarded as an effective strategy for dealing with the increasingly serious problem of electromagnetic radiation pollution. Herein, nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide/multi-walled carbon nanotubes/zinc ferrite (NRGO/MWCNTs/ZnFe₂O₄) composite aerogel was synthesized via solvothermal followed by hydrothermal and lyophilization processes. Morphological characterization results manifested that the attained ternary composite aerogel displayed unique three-dimensional porous netlike structure, which was composed of partial stack of adjacent NRGO sheets entangled by MWCNTs and decorated with ZnFe₂O₄ microspheres. Moreover, the influences of complexing with conductive MWCNTs and magnetic ZnFe₂O₄, and filler contents on the EMW attenuation performance of ternary composite aerogel were examined. Significantly, the ternary composite aerogel exhibited notably strengthened EMW absorption capacity in comparison with NRGO/MWCNTs composite aerogel, NRGO aerogel and ZnFe₂O₄ microspheres. The minimum reflection loss (RL_min) was up to -52.6 dB at a thin matching thickness of 1.7 mm and effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) was 5.1 GHz (12.7-17.8 GHz) under an ultrathin thickness of 1.65 mm with a low filler content of 10 wt%. Remarkably, the |SRL_min| (|specific RL_min value per thickness|) could achieve 30.9 dB/mm, which overwhelmed almost all the reported RGO-based composite aerogels. Besides, the possible EMW absorption mechanisms of as-synthesized ternary composite aerogel were proposed. It was believed that our results provided a valuable guidance for fabricating graphene-based composites with three-dimensional netlike structure as light-weight, thin thickness and high-performance EMW absorbers.

Nickel-cobalt hydroxide: a positive electrode for supercapacitor applications

So far, numerous metal oxides and metal hydroxides have been reported as an electrode material, a critical component in supercapacitors that determines the operation window of the capacitor. Among them, nickel and cobalt-based materials are studied extensively due to their high capacitance nature. However, the pure phase of hydroxides does not show a significant effect on cycle life. The observed XRD results revealed the phase structures of the obtained Ni(OH)2 and Co-Ni(OH)2 hydroxides. The congruency of the peak positions of Ni(OH)2 and Co-Ni(OH)2 is attributed to the homogeneity of the physical and chemical properties of the as-prepared products. The obtained results from XPS analysis indicated the presence of Co and the chemical states of the as-prepared composite active electrode materials. The SEM analysis revealed that the sample had the configuration of agglomerated particle nature. Moreover, the morphology and structure of the hydroxide materials impacted their charge storage properties. Thus, in this study, Ni(OH)2 and Co-Ni(OH)2 composite materials were produced via a hydrothermal method to obtain controllable morphology. The electrochemical properties were studied. It was observed that both the samples experienced a pseudocapacitive behavior, which was confirmed from the CV curves. For the electrode materials Ni(OH)2 and Co-Ni(OH)2, the specific capacitance (C s) of about 1038 F g-1 and 1366 F g-1, respectively, were observed at the current density of 1.5 A g-1. The Ni-Co(OH)2 composite showed high capacitance when compared with Ni(OH)2. The cycle index was determined for the electrode materials and it indicated excellent stability. The stability of the cell was investigated up to 2000 cycles, and the cell showed excellent retention of 96.26%.

Binary mixed molybdenum cobalt sulfide nanosheets decorated on rGO as a high-performance supercapacitor electrode

This work represents the production of MoS₂/CoS₂ hybridized with rGO as a material for high-performance supercapacitors. The hydrothermal method is used for the synthesis. The as-prepared material is characterized by x-ray diffraction spectroscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and electron microscopy. The size of the nanoparticles is estimated at 80 nm, and their uniform dispersion on rGO is observed from electron microscopy images. A high-specific capacitance of 190 mF cm^-2 obtains for MoS₂/CoS₂/rGO at the current density of 0.5 mA cm^-2 in 2 M KOH. The cyclic stability over 5000 cycles at a scan rate of 100 mV s^-1 shows that the MoS₂/CoS₂/rGO electrode is stable, and 88.6% of its initial capacitance sustains at the end of 5000 cycles. This excellent performance is assigned to the synergistic effect of rGO and MoS₂/CoS₂. This electrode with excellent stability and capacitance could be a potential candidate for supercapacitor electrode materials.

Direct Pre-lithiation of Electropolymerized Carbon Nanotubes for Enhanced Cycling Performance of Flexible Li-Ion Micro-Batteries

Carbon nanotubes (CNT) are used as anodes for flexible Li-ion micro-batteries. However, one of the major challenges in the growth of flexible micro-batteries with CNT as the anode is their immense capacity loss and a very low initial coulombic efficiency. In this study, we report the use of a facile direct pre-lithiation to suppress high irreversible capacity of the CNT electrodes in the first cycles. Pre-lithiated polymer-coated CNT anodes displayed good rate capabilities, studied up to 30 C and delivered high capacities of 850 mAh g⁻¹ (313 μAh cm⁻²) at 1 C rate over 50 charge-discharge cycles.

A 2D metal–organic framework/reduced graphene oxide heterostructure for supercapacitor application

Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) with two dimensional (2D) nanosheets have attracted special attention for supercapacitor application due to their exceptional large surface area and high surface-to-volume atom ratios. However, their electrochemical performance is greatly hindered by their poor electrical conductivity. Herein, we report a 2D nanosheet nickel cobalt based MOF (NiCo-MOF)/reduced graphene oxide heterostructure as an electrode material for supercapacitors. The NiCo-MOF 2D nanosheets are in situ grown on rGO surfaces by simple room temperature precipitation. In such hybrid structure the MOF ultrathin nanosheets provide large surface area with abundant channels for fast mass transport of ions while the rGO conductive and physical support provides rapid electron transport. Thus, using the synergistic advantage of rGO and NiCo-MOF nanosheets an excellent specific capacitance of 1553 F g⁻¹ at a current density of 1 A g⁻¹ is obtained. Additionally, the as synthesized hybrid material showed excellent cycling capacity of 83.6% after 5000 cycles of charge–discharge. Interestingly, the assembled asymmetric device showed an excellent energy density of 44 W h kg⁻¹ at a power density of 3168 W kg⁻¹. The electrochemical performance obtained in this report illustrates hybridization of MOF nanosheets with carbon materials is promising for next generation supercapacitors.

In this 2D NiCo-MOF/rGO hybrid, the MOF nanosheets provide abundant active sites while the conductive rGO provide rapid electron transport.