Polyphosphazene-derived carbon modified nanowires for high-performance electrochemical energy storage

Two one-dimensional nanowires, Fe 3 O 4 and MnO 2 nanowires, were modified with polyphosphazene-derived carbon (PZSC) using in situ polymerization and high-temperature calcination methods. PZSC coated with MnO 2 nanowire (MnO 2 /PZSCNW) was designed as the positive electrode, while PZSC coated with Fe 3 O 4 nanowire (Fe 3 O 4 /PZSCNW) was designed as the negative electrode. Both MnO 2 /PZSCNW (+) and Fe 3 O 4 /PZSCNW (−) exhibit much larger specific capacities than the corresponding MnO 2 and Fe 3 O 4 nanowires, reaching 75.5 mAh g −1 and 75.9 mAh g −1 , respectively. The maximum specific capacity, power and energy density of MnO 2 /PZSCNW (+)//Fe 3 O 4 /PZSCNW (−) in alkaline electrolyte are up to 63.2 mAh g −1 , 429.6 W kg −1 and 53.7 Wh kg −1 , respectively. After 10 000 cycles, the cell maintains 100% capacity. The experimental results indicate that the polyphosphazene-derived carbon coating can significantly improve the electrochemical performance, providing a feasible solution for constructing high-performance supercapacitors.