Preparation and electrochemical properties of bimetallic carbide Fe3Mo3C/Mo2C@carbon nanotubes as negative electrode material for supercapacitor

Abstract

The recent studies presented that bimetallic carbide is a potential electrode material for supercapacitors owing to its abundant active sites, high conductivity and high electrochemical stability. Besides, making composite of bimetallic carbides with other advanced physical, textural and morphological materials such as graphene, porous carbon or carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can critically enhance the electrochemical property of the electrode. In this work, Fe3Mo3C/Mo2C@CNTs composite material was for the first time prepared by hydrothermal and high temperature carbonization using chitosan as carbon source and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as a host. The phase composition, morphology and electrochemical features of Fe3Mo3C/Mo2C@CNTs composite material were systematically studied. The Fe3Mo3C/Mo2C@CNTs nanoparticle carbonized at 800 °C shows the optimal electrochemical performance. The specific capacitance reaches 196.3 F g−1 at the scanning rate of 10 mV s−1 (202.3 F g−1 at 1 A g−1). Besides, an asymmetric supercapacitor assembled with Fe3Mo3C/Mo2C@CNTs and NiCo2O4 electrode yields an energy density of 39.9 Wh Kg−1 when the power density is 1800 W Kg−1. Meanwhile, the capacitance retention rate reaches 73.9 % after 4000 cycles. Overall, Fe3Mo3C/Mo2C@CNTs is applied to the negative electrode material of a supercapacitor for the first time, and its outstanding electrochemical behavior indicates the tremendous potential in the electrochemical energy storage field.