Integrated MnO2/PEDOT composite on carbon cloth for advanced electrochemical energy storage asymmetric supercapacitors

Advanced flexible supercapacitors with high energy/power density are an imperative research objective. In this study, a dually activated carbon cloth is designed as the functional current collector for supercapacitors. An electrodeposition technique is used for engineering Manganese Dioxide (MnO2) nanoflakes and profiting from a Poly (3,4 ethylene dioxythiophene; PEDOT) shield layer, a Li+-based neutral electrolyte high-performance freestanding asymmetric supercapacitors is constructed. The activated carbon cloth (ACC) provides an efficient electron-carrying route and the hierarchical nanostructure of the ACC@MnO2@PEDOT electrode. The integrated ACC@MnO2@PEDOT electrode exhibited exceptional capacitance performance of 1882.5 mF cm−2 (current density 1 mA cm−2) in 1.5 M aqueous LiCl electrolyte benefiting from ACC scaffold, the pseudocapacitive activity of MnO2 and substantial conductivity of the PEDOT polymer. Fabricating the structured electrode into an asymmetric supercapacitor revealed an enhanced areal energy density and an areal power density. The fabricated device demonstrated a broad voltage window of 1.8 V and extraordinary cycling stability of 94.6% after 10000 charge-discharge cycles. The unique scaffold, conducting PEDOT polymer, and MnO2 nanoflakes synergistically improved the cyclic performance and rate proficiency of the electrode, resulting in a supercapacitor with bendable electrical energy storage applications.