Flexible and freestanding core-shell SnOx/carbon nanofiber mats for high-performance supercapacitors

Abstract

We demonstrate the fabrication of core-shell SnOx/carbon nanofiber (CNF) composite mats via single-nozzle one-step electrospinning for use as flexible freestanding electrodes in supercapacitors. The freestanding and flexible nature of the composites is essential for their use in lightweight, portable, and foldable electronic devices and eliminates the need for a separate current collector. We fully characterized the structural and morphological properties of the SnOx/CNF mats and optimized the SnOx to CNF precursor ratio. The optimized SnOx/CNF-based symmetric supercapacitor exhibited a capacitance of 289 F.g(-1) at a scan rate of 10 mV.s(-1). Moreover, it retained more than 88% of its initial capacitance after 5000 cycles, highlighting the long-term stability of supercapacitors based on these SnOx/CNF mats. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.