Nano-Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>/Carbon Nanotubes Composites by One-Pot Microwave Solvothermal Method for Supercapacitor Applications

oleh: Sul Ki Park, Jagadeesh Sure, D. Sri Maha Vishnu, Seong Jun Jo, Woo Cheol Lee, Ibrahim A. Ahmad, Hyun-Kyung Kim

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2021-05-01

Deskripsi

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are being increasingly studied as electrode materials for supercapacitors (SCs) due to their high electronic conductivity and chemical and mechanical stability. However, their energy density and specific capacitance have not reached the commercial stage due to their electrostatic charge storage system via a non-faradic mechanism. Moreover, magnetite (Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>) exhibits higher specific capacitance originating from its pseudocapacitive behaviour, while it has irreversible volume expansion during cycling. Therefore, a very interesting and facile strategy to arrive at better performance and stability is to integrate CNTs and Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>. In this study, we demonstrate the microwave-solvothermal process for the synthesis of Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> nanoparticles uniformly grown on a CNT composite as an electrode for SCs. The synthesized Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>/CNT composite delivers a reversible capacitance of 187.1 F/g at 1 A/g, superior rate capability by maintaining 61.6% of 10 A/g (vs. 1 A/g), and cycling stability of 80.2% after 1000 cycles at 1 A/g.