Morphology controlled synthesis of MnCo2S4 nanoflower structures for different metal precursors used for energy storage applications

Abstract

Supercapacitors have been considered efficient energy storage devices because of their promising electrochemical charge storage capabilities. Nevertheless, an efficient electrode material is needed to fulfill the demands of current supercapacitor technology. This study examines the influence of various metal precursors (acetate (A), nitrate (N), and chloride (C)) on the morphology-dependent supercapacitor performance of MnCo2S4 (MCS) fabricated on nickel foam using an in situ hydrothermal method to obtain an optimized electrode material. The flower-like porous morphology of MCS N provides a maximum number of electrochemically active sites to the electrode material, enhancing the attainable surface area of the electrolyte upon increasing the electrochemical performance. The electrode material MnCo2S4 derived from a nitrate precursor exhibits higher specific capacity compared to MCS A and MCS C, reaching 2367C g−1 at 1 A g−1 and demonstrating 90 % cycles stability over 5000 cyclings. Likewise, an asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) is developed by coupling activated carbon (negative electrode) with MnCo2S4 (positive electrode), yielding notable performance, such as 217 F g−1 capacitance at 1 A g−1, along with high energy and power densities of 63.3 Wh/kg and 6000 W kg−1, correspondingly. These outcomes emphasize the morphology-dependent behavior of MnCo2S4 in advancing supercapacitor design.