Synthesis and Characterization of Modified Centrifuged-Electrospun Carbon Nanofibers for High-Performance Supercapacitor Electrodes

Abstract

Background: Incorporating novel multifunctional effective materials into supercapacitors electrode is an ongoing requirement for hybrid supercapacitors with enhanced electrochemical performance. Methods: Herein, modified plasma-grafted multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CMS) with improved dispersion are embedded within centrifugal-spun carbon nanofibers as a hierarchical template (CNFs-CMS) to facilitate the growth of subsequent active materials. CNFs-CMS is then electroless plated with acicular nickel (Ni) balls, followed by one-step hydrothermal co-deposition to grow Ni(OH)2-MnO2 hybrid nanosheets. Significant findingsA binder-free, 3D interconnected nanostructures of CNFs-CMS@Ni@Ni(OH)2-MnO2 electrode material is employed for an all-in-one hybrid supercapacitor that exhibits excellent electric double layer (EDLC), battery-like and pseudocapacitance (PC) properties, along with a high surface area (665 m2 g−1) and conductivity (2.96 S cm−1). The as-fabricated electrode demonstrates specific capacitance (Cs) of 1063.33 F g−1 at a high current density of 20 A g−1 in 3M KOH electrolyte, maintaining capacitance retention of 92.5 % after 10,000 galvanostatic charge-discharge cycles. An asymmetric supercapacitor pairing CNFs-CMS@Ni@Ni(OH)2-MnO2 with CNFs-CMS is established, attributes comparably high energy density (52.54 Wh kg−1) and power density (59 kW kg−1) across a potential window of 1.2 V.