Hydrothermal preparation of hematite nanotubes/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites as electrode material for high performance supercapacitors

We report the fabrication of hematite nanotubes/reduced graphene oxide (α-Fe2O3 NTs/rGO) nanocomposites via a one-step hydrothermal process without using any template. The structure and morphology of the samples are confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Electrochemical performances of the samples are investigated employing cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge-discharge (GCD) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The α-Fe2O3 NTs/rGO demonstrated a maximum specific capacitance of 262.2 F g−1 at 1 A g−1 and good cyclic stability at 5 A g−1 with 96% capacitance retention after 500 cycles. The integration of α-Fe2O3 NTs with rGO sheets improved the electrochemical performances. [Display omitted] •One-step hydrothermal preparation of α-Fe2O3 NTs/rGO nanocomposites.•α-Fe2O3 NTs/rGO demonstrated a high specific capacitance of 262.2 F g−1 at 1 A g−1.•α-Fe2O3 NTs/rGO showed good cyclic stability than bare α-Fe2O3 NTs.•The as-prepared nanocomposites are potentially useful for supercapacitor applications.