Chemically grown mesoporous f-CNT/α-MnO2/PIn nanocomposites as electrode materials for supercapacitor application

Hydrothermally synthesized α-MnO 2 nanorods-decorated functionalized carbon nanotube wrapped with polyindole was fabricated as an electrode material via chemical oxidative in situ polymerization process. Droplet-like nanostructures with small holes of polyindole and dimple fracture, followed by microvoids in the ternary blend f -CNT/α-MnO 2 /polyindole (CMP), revealed mesoporous nanostructure which provided suitable path for ion transfer into the interface of the electrode material resulting in excellent conductivity. The electrochemical features of CMP were studied by employing cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge–discharge and electrochemical impedance spectroscopic (EIS) techniques. The novel electrode material CMP delivered high gravimetric capacitance of 421 F g −1 at current density 2 A g −1 in three electrode systems with 1 M KCl as an electrolyte. With mass loading 0.15 mg cm −2 , the areal capacitance for CMP nanocomposite was calculated 63 mF cm −2 . The long lifespan with 92.1% specific capacitance retention revealed better cyclic stability of the said material at high current density 5 A g −1 after 5000 consecutive cycles. Low ESR value of 0.36 Ω for CMP was estimated through EIS technique. These results remarkably encouraged the supercapacitive performance of the said nanocomposite and paved the path for novel category of electrode material as promising candidate for supercapacitor application.