Flexible and freestanding manganese/iron oxide carbon nanofibers for supercapacitor electrodes

Abstract

In this study, freestanding carbon nanofibers embedded with bimetallic manganese-iron oxide are fabricated for flexible supercapacitor applications via electrospinning. A polyacrylonitrile solution is used as the carbon source, and poly(methyl methacrylate) functions as a sacrificial template to produce microporous carbon nanofibers. The concentrations of manganese acetate and iron acetylacetonate are varied to determine the fabrication conditions for maximal electrochemical performance. The optimized supercapacitor cell exhibits a capacitance of 467 F g(-1) at a current density of 1 A g(-1) and a capacitance retention of 94% at the end of N = 10,000 cycles. The higher mechanical durability of the electrode is confirmed by the absence of electrochemical deterioration at the end of performing 500 bending cycles. Overall, the sample comprising carbon nanofibers, in which the optimal amount of manganese-iron oxide is embedded, has the required pseudocapacitive characteristics and is an interesting choice for high-energy-storage supercapacitor electrodes.