Synthesis and Characterization of Ternary Mesoporous Carbon/ZnMn2O4 for Supercapacitor Application

Mesoporous carbon/ZnMn2O4 (C/ZMO) was synthesized via a simple and economical combustion method. C/ZMO-1 exhibited high porosity with a specific surface area of 794.94 m(2) g(-1). Energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy results and x-ray diffraction patterns have proved that ZMO was successfully doped to the carbon source. Electrochemical properties of the materials were investigated with cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge in 6 M KOH electrolyte using a three-electrode system. The electrochemical measurements demonstrated that the capacitance of C/ZMO-1 improved after ZMO was introduced, from 117.06 Fg(-1) to 122.94 Fg(-1) at a current density of 0.3 Ag-1. Additionally, high durability was observed in C/ZMO-1 with 90.77% of capacitance retention after 5000 cycles at various current densities. A symmetrical C/ZMO-1||C/ZMO-1 cell was fabricated with high durability and stability of 98.78%. An energy density of 1.94 Wh kg(-1) and power density of 129.43 W kg(-1) of the symmetrical cell has been achieved. A long cycle life with excellent durability results implied that mesoporous carbon composite is a promising, cost-effective and environmentally friendly electrode material for supercapacitors.