Synthesis and electrochemical performance of MnO2/CNTs-embedded carbon nanofibers nanocomposites for supercapacitors

MnO2/carbon nanotubes (CNTs)-embedded carbon nanofibers (CNFs) nanocomposites (MnO2/CNTs-CNFs) have been prepared using electrospinning and in situ redox deposition technique. The as-prepared nanocomposites were directly employed as freestanding electrodes to evaluate the electrochemical properties. Results showed that the nanoscopic MnO2 deposits were incorporated uniformly into the CNTs-embedded CNFs network structure, which hold a great promise for high-performance supercapacitor applications. Compared to the pure CNFs substrate, the improved electric conductivity of CNTs-embedded CNFs substrate enabled a better utilization of MnO2 coating. thus resulting in higher specific capacitance (374 F/g) and better rate capability (53.4%). Excellent capacitance retention of 94% of the initial capacitance after 1000 cycles was achieved on the freestanding MnO2/CNTs-CNFs nanocomposites electrode. The specific capacitance was found to increase significantly with the increase in the electrolyte temperature, which offered an insight into the practical supercapacitor applications. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.