Enhanced electrochemical properties of manganese oxide and boron dual-decorated carbon nanofibers with hierarchical micro/mesopores.

Manganese oxide (MnO 2 ) and boron dual-decorated carbon nanofibers with hierarchical micro/mesopores (PPMMABMn) were fabricated by electrospinning and subsequent thermal technique to study the effect of the MnCl 2 content on the microstructures and electrochemical properties in application as an electrode material of electrochemical capacitors (ECs). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), mapping images, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirm the compositions and amounts of boron and MnO 2 in the CNF composites. Furthermore, the nitrogen sorption isotherms and the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) theory reveal the co-existence of micropores and mesopores, with the latter representing more than 50% of the pore volume fraction. A high MnO 2 content and many mesopores in PPMMABMn composites contribute to the main redox pseudocapacitance of MnO 2 and low internal resistance for ion charge diffusion for good capacitive performance in KOH aqueous electrolyte in terms of large specific capacitance, great energy density and high rate capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]