Electrospun Mo2C-embedded carbon nanofibers: A promising material for supercapacitors with enhanced electrochemical performance

Abstract

Recently there has been a growing fascination with two-dimensional (2D) materials, driven by their remarkable and distinctive characteristics. This paper introduces a straightforward, efficient, and affordable approach for producing Mo2C@CNF nanocomposite electrodes by using the Electrospinning (E-Spun) technique and subsequent calcination process. The Mo2C@CNF-1 and Mo2C@CNF-2 are E-spun, iodized, and notably Mo2C@CNF-2 is carried out by the ageing process. The purpose of the iodization and ageing process before carbonization is to create a stronger C=C backbone and to reduce carbon loss during the formation of carbon nanofiber. The physical properties of the sample were characterized using XRD, HRSEM, EDAX, HRTEM, XPS, and BET. Further, their electrochemical performance is comparatively studied for supercapacitor applications in three-electrode setups. The Mo2C@CNF-2 exhibits a high specific capacitance of 873 F g−1 with a coulombic efficiency of 88.4 % at 1 A g-1 current density. Further studies on the electrochemical performance of symmetric Mo2C@CNF-2 devices show 126 F g−1 capacitance indicating its good electrochemical performance at 0.1 A g−1. Furthermore, the charge storage kinetics studied for the Mo2C@CNF-2 device, shed light on the insertion/de-insertion process of electrolytic ions being responsible for its excellent performance.