Stable Low-Current Electrodeposition of α-MnO2 on Superaligned Electrospun Carbon Nanofibers for High-Performance Energy Storage

Yiyang Liu; Zheng Zeng; Brian Bloom; David H Waldeck; Jianjun Wei

doi:10.1002/smll.201703237

Stable Low-Current Electrodeposition of α-MnO₂ on Superaligned Electrospun Carbon Nanofibers for High-Performance Energy Storage

Small. 2018 Jan;14(3). doi: 10.1002/smll.201703237. Epub 2017 Nov 29.

Authors

Yiyang Liu¹, Zheng Zeng¹, Brian Bloom², David H Waldeck², Jianjun Wei¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Nanoscience, Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, 27401, USA.
² Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA.

PMID: 29193670
DOI: 10.1002/smll.201703237

Abstract

Metal oxide/carbonaceous nanomaterials are promising candidates for energy-storage applications. However, inhomogeneous mass and charge transfer across the electrode/electrolyte interface due to unstable metal oxide/carbonaceous nanomaterial synthesis limit their performance in supercapacitors. Here, it is shown that the above problems can be mitigated through stable low-current electrodeposition of MnO₂ on superaligned electrospun carbon nanofibers (ECNFs). The key to this approach is coupling a self-designed four steel poles collector for aligned ECNFs and a constant low-current (40 µA) electrodeposition technique to form a uniform Na⁺ -induced α-MnO₂ film which proceeds by a time-dependent growth mechanism involving cluster-"kebab" structures and ending with a compact, uniform MnO₂ film for high-performance energy storage.

Keywords: MnO2; electrodeposition; electrospun carbon nanofibers; growth mechanisms; supercapacitors.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.