Template-induced synthesis of MnO2-g-C3N4/C three-phase composites and its performance for supercapacitors

Carbon based electrode materials have many advantages such as large specific surface area, good electrical conductivity, easy obtained, safety and non-toxicity. In this work, we have induced the synthesis of MnO2-g-C3N4/C composites using the apricot mushroom as a biological template. The rod-shaped MnO2 is uniformly anchored on the surface of g-C3N4/C. Structural design of MnO2-g-C3N4/C composites improves the poor electrical conductivity of single MnO2. The results show that biocarbon has good stability and conductivity, g-C3N4 provides more reactive sites, and MnO2 substantially enhances the pseudocapacitance of the material, thus realize the synergistic effect for higher supercapacitor property. Based on its excellent three-phase interface structure, the MnO2-g-C3N4/C' capacitance was able to reach 276F·g−1 with a capacitance retention of 96 % after 1000 cycles. Therefore, this material has potential application in the energy storage industry.