Development of high-performance supercapacitor based on Fe3O4@SiO2@PolyFc nanoparticles via surface-initiated radical polymerization

Abstract

The magnetic core-shell Fe3O4@SiO2 nanoparticles were prepared via the Stöber route and functionalized with triethoxyvinylsilane as coupling agent to introduce reactive vinyl groups onto the surface of Fe3O4@SiO2 nanoparticles, afterwards, 3-(4-ferrocenylbutoxy)-1-propene as a redox active monomer was grafted onto the surface of modified-MNPs through a surface-initiated radical polymerization. The chemical structure, surface morphology, crystalline structure and elemental composition of the synthesized nanoparticles were evaluated and investigated using FT-IR, FE-SEM, EDX, XRD, and BET techniques. The supercapacitor performance of the synthesized electrode materials was investigated using various electrochemical experiments such as CV, GCD and EIS. The modified final nanoparticles showed an excellent charge storage capacity of 170 mAh g−1 (612 C g−1) at 2.5 A g−1. The surface modified Fe3O4 with grafting of the Fc moiety as a Faradaic battery-type redox active material ensured a high specific capacity of the final modified nanoparticles.