In situ synthesis of C3N4/PPy/MnO2 nanocomposite as a high performance active material for asymmetric supercapacitor

The increasing demand for energy resources considered and stimulated researchers towards energy storage devices. Supercapacitors are confirmed to be one of the potent power devices for the storage and usage of electrical energy. Herein, a ternary nanocomposite of C3N4/Polypyrrole/MnO2 is made through the in situ chemical procedure, and electrochemical performance was assessed for supercapacitor application. The role of C3N4 is also investigated and showed in the presence of C3N4 since C3N4 could act as directing agent for in situ growth of binary nanocomposite of PPy/MnO2; the morphology of ternary nanocomposite material differs completely in comparison to PPy/MnO2 material. The specific capacitances of the PPy/MnO2 and C3N4/PPy/MnO2 electrodes were calculated to be 378.4 F g(-1) and 509.4 F g(-1), at 1.0 A g(-1), respectively. Moreover, an asymmetric supercapacitor fabricated with C3N4/PPy/MnO2 as a cathode and active carbon (AC) as anode shows a high energy density of 63.9 Wh kg(-1) at a power density of 2000 W kg(-1) and has an excellent cycling performance with the retention rate of 95.7% after 5000 charge-discharge cycles, proposing their promising application in high-performance supercapacitors.

Automated summary

A ternary nanocomposite of C3N4/Polypyrrole/MnO2 was prepared and showed promising electrochemical performance for supercapacitor application, with high specific capacitance, energy density, and cycling stability. The unique morphology of the material, along with the role of C3N4 as a directing agent, contributed to its superior performance in high-performance supercapacitors.