In situ growth of manganese oxide on 3D graphene by a reverse microemulsion method for supercapacitors

In this study, a new, effective strategy is reported for the fabrication of composites using manganese oxide (MnO2) grown in situ on three-dimensional (3D) graphene by the reverse microemulsion (water-in-oil) method. A uniform coating of nanoscale MnO2 layers can be observed on the internal surface of 3D graphene, which could benefit rapid ionic and electronic transport. The electrochemical performance of the MnO2/3D graphene composites is optimized by the control of the composite structure and mass loading of MnO2. The MnO2/3D graphene composite thus prepared exhibits a significantly high specific capacitance of 659.7 F g−1 at 0.3 A g−1 and an excellent retention life of 106% after 1000 cycles. The facile synthesis and excellent electrochemical performance of the MnO2/3D graphene composites indicate that the developed method demonstrates potential applications for the fabrication of novel electrode materials for use in energy storage devices.