Wide voltage-window biomass carbon-based MnO electrodes for supercapacitors.

Biomass carbon-based MnO electrode materials were synthesized using ramie as the biomass precursor of carbon and potassium permanganate as the precursor of MnO. The ramie-activated carbon/manganese monoxide (RAC/MnO) composite electrodes exhibited a specific capacitance of 720 F/g at a current density of 0.5 A/g. A symmetric cell assembled using the composite electrodes showed a specific capacitance of 45 F/g at 0.5 A/g and an energy density of 12.25 Wh/kg at a power density of 350 W/kg. The excellent electrochemical performance was analyzed by characterizing the electrodes' chemical composition, microstructure, crystal orientation, specific surface area, and pore distribution. Because of the large overpotential of MnO, the composite electrode's working voltage reached 1.4 V, which is 40% higher than 1.0 V of traditional carbon electrodes. As such, supercapacitors can have higher energy density and power density with the RAC/MnO composite electrodes. The experimental equipment for synthesizing the electrodes is very simple and is promising for large-scale commercialization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]