Hierarchical manganese oxide/carbon nanocomposites for supercapacitor electrodes

MnO2/carbon nanocomposites with hierarchical pore structure and controllable MnO2 loading have been synthesized using a self-limiting growth method. This was achieved by the redox reactions of KMnO4 with sacrificed carbon substrates that contain hierarchical pores. The unique pore structure allows the synthesis of nanocomposites with tunable MnO2 loading up to 83 wt.%. The specific capacitance of the nanocomposites increased with the MnO2 loading; the conductivity measured by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, on the other hand, decreased with increasing MnO2 loading. Optimization of the MnO2 loading resulted in nanocomposites with high specific capacitance and excellent rate capability. This work provides important fundamental understanding which will facilitate the design and fabrication of high-performance supercapacitor materials for a large variety of applications.