Enhanced supercapacitive performance of MnOx through N2/H2 plasma treatment

Abstract

This work relates to the research on the effect of plasma on the performance of manganese oxide. Manganese oxide nanoflakes were prepared through the reaction of KMnO4 and alcohol, and then treated by N2 and N2/H2 plasma. The crystal structure of manganese oxide can be destructed by plasma treatment and manganese oxide become more amorphous and aggregated than those of as-synthesized MnOx, both of which have been proven by XRD and TEM techniques. Results of XPS confirm that the ionic defects and oxygen vacancy are also formed in manganese oxide by plasma. The electrochemical behavior was studied using CV, GCD, and EIS method in 0.5 M Na2SO4 solution. The results show that N2/H2 plasma treatment can fascinate the coexistence of mixed valence of Mn and the formation of oxygen vacancies, reduce the charge-transfer resistance, and then enhance the capacitive performance efficiently.