Mixed-Phase MnO2/N-Containing Graphene Composites Applied as Electrode Active Materials for Flexible Asymmetric Solid-State Supercapacitors

MnO2/N-containing graphene composites with various contents of Mn were fabricated and used as active materials for the electrodes of flexible solid-state asymmetric supercapacitors. By scanning electron microscopes (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS), fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Raman spectra, the presence of MnO2 and N-containing graphene was verified. The MnO2 nanostructures decorated on the N-containing graphene were of alpha- and gamma-mixed phases. N-containing graphene was found to reduce the charge transfer impedance in the high-frequency region at the electrode/electrolyte interface (R-CT) due to its good conductivity. The co-existence of MnO2 and N-containing graphene led to a more reduced R-CT and improved charge transfer. Both the mass loading and content of Mn in an active material electrode were crucial. Excess Mn caused reduced contacts between the electrode and electrolyte ions, leading to increased R-CT, and suppressed ionic diffusion. When the optimized mass loading and Mn content were used, the 3-NGM1 electrode exhibiting the smallest R-CT and a lower ionic diffusion impedance was obtained. It also showed a high specific capacitance of 638 F.g(-1) by calculation from the cyclic voltammetry (CV) curves. The corresponding energy and power densities were 372.7 Wh.kg(-1) and 4731.1 W.kg(-1), respectively. The superior capacitance property arising from the synergistic effect of mixed-phase MnO2 and N-containing graphene had permitted the composites promising active materials for flexible solid-state asymmetric supercapacitors. Moreover, the increase of specific capacitance was found to be more significant by the pseudocapacitive MnO2 than N-containing graphene.