Synthesis of chemical bath deposited Manganese oxide thin films for high performance supercapacitor

[Display omitted] •Cost effective synthesis of the Manganese oxide films via chemical bath deposition method.•Deposition time variation affected morphological and electrochemical properties of films.•Highest specific capacitance of 296 F/g at 0.5 A/g is obtained. The present study addresses the growing need for high-performance supercapacitors, emphasizing the benefits of Manganese oxide (MnO2) thin film as a promising electrode material. Thin film deposition of MnO2 is achieved through Chemical Bath Deposition (CBD) method by varying the deposition time on the stainless steel substrate. In order to investigate impact of deposition time on various physico-chemical properties of MnO2 thin films, different characterizations were carried out like X-ray diffraction, Scanning electron microscopy, Energy dispersive X-ray analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, Galvanostatic charge–discharge analysis. The deposited MnO2 thin films are subsequently studied for their electrochemical properties in a 1 M KOH electrolyte solution. Remarkably, the best specific capacitance is obtained about 296.5 F/g at current density of 0.5 A/g, with 86.42 % retention after 5000 cycles, highlighting the excellent electrochemical performance of the MnO2 thin films deposited at 6 hrs of reaction time. This work highlights valuable insights into the CBD deposited MnO2 thin films for supercapacitor applications, providing a foundation for the development of an efficient, low-cost, and scalable energy storage devices.