Facile synthesis of hierarchical ZnMn2O4@ZnFe2O4 microspheres on nickel foam for high-performance supercapacitor applications†
Abstract
Unique ZnMn2O4@ZnFe2O4 microspheres were fabricated on Ni foam using a facile and cost-effective hydrothermal method for high-performance supercapacitor applications. The resulting ZnMn2O4@ZnFe2O4 electrode was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and electrochemical techniques. The ZnMn2O4@ZnFe2O4 electrode exhibited a microsphere-like morphology with a mean size of ∼50–115 nm. The electrochemical performance of the ZnMn2O4@ZnFe2O4 electrode was investigated and the results showed that the ZnMn2O4@ZnFe2O4 electrode exhibits a high specific capacitance of 1024.66 F g−1 at 10 mA cm−2, low internal resistance, and remarkable cycling stability with 95.8% capacitance retention after 3000 charge–discharge cycles, which was superior to those of the ZnMn2O4 and ZnFe2O4 electrodes. Such enhanced electrochemical performance and the facile synthetic method of ZnMn2O4@ZnFe2O4 electrode materials offer great promise in next generation supercapacitor applications.