Surfactant-assisted microwave synthesis of carbon supported MnO2 nanocomposites and their application for electrochemical supercapacitors

Center for Physical Sciences and Technology, 3 Saulėtekio Avenue, 10257 Vilnius, Lithuania MnO2/C nanocomposites have been prepared using a simple onestep microwave heating method by applying different concentrations of cationic surfactant – cetyl trimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). The morphology and composition of the prepared MnO2/C nanocomposites have been investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The electrochemical performance of the prepared nanocomposites has been analysed using cyclic voltammetry. It was found that a high specific capacitance (Cs) of 742 F g −1 at a scan rate of 10 mV s−1 in a 1 M Na2SO4 solution has been obtained for the MnO2/C nanocomposite that has the mass loading of 0.140 mg cm−2 and has been synthesized in the absence of CTAB. Meanwhile, the application of CTAB allowed the increase in the mass loading of MnO2 in the nanocomposites. In the presence of CTAB, the highest value of 654 F g−1 at a scan rate of 10 mV s−1 has been obtained for MnO2/C that has the mass loading of 0.570 mg cm−2. This result confirmed a good performance of the prepared MnO2/C nanocomposites as the electrode material for supercapacitors.