Ant-cave structured MnCO_3/Mn_3O_4 microcubes by biopolymer-assisted facile synthesis for high-performance pseudocapacitors

摘要

Graphical abstractDisplay OmittedHighlights•Porous MnCO3/Mn3O4microcubes are prepared using one-step hydrothermal method.•As a naturally derived biopolymer, chitosan plays an important role in the formation of ant-cave structures.•The pseudocapacitive material prepared with chitosan delivers higher electrochemical properties.AbstractPorous and ant-cave structured MnCO3/Mn3O4microcubes (MCs) were facilely synthesized via a biopolymer-assisted hydrothermal approach. Herein, chitosan was used as a natural biopolymer, which greatly controls the surface morphology and size of the prepared composite. The amino and hydroxyl group-functionalized chitosan engraves the outer surface of MCs during the hydrothermal process, which designs the interesting morphology of nanopath ways on the surface of MCs. When used as an electrode material for pseudocapacitors, the ant-cave structured MnCO3/Mn3O4MCs showed superior energy storage values compared to the material prepared without chitosan in aqueous electrolyte solution. Precisely, the prepared ant-cave structured MnCO3/Mn3O4MCs exhibited a maximum specific capacitance of 116.2F/g at a current density of 0.7A/g with an excellent cycling stability of 73.86% after 2000 cycles. Such facile and low-cost synthesis of pseudocapacitive materials with porous nanopaths is favorable for the fabrication of high-performance energy storage devices.