Hydrothermal synthesis of MWCNT/Ni-Mn-S composite derived from bimetallic MOF for high-performance electrochemical energy storage

Multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)/Ni-Mn-S composites are derived from MWCNT/Ni/Mn bimetallic metal-organic framework (MOF) for supercapacitor electrodes. Electroconductive MWCNT is introduced into Ni-Mn-S to form a three-dimensional interconnected structure due to the covalent interaction between Ni atoms and C atoms. During energy storage, MWCNT serves as miniature current collector to shorten pathway of electron collection and transmission. In addition, S2- etching agent with Kirkendall effect makes edges and surfaces of the resulted sulfide structures rougher provide more active sites and improves electrochemical performance compared with precursors. By finely adjusting Ni/Mn molar ratio, the prepared MWCNT/Ni-Mn-S composite achieves excellent properties. As-prepared MWCNT/Ni-Mn-S(3:2) exhibits high specific capacitance of 1041 mAh g−1 at 1 A g−1 and good cyclic stability. The capacitance retention reaches 83.3% after 10,000 cycles. The assembled MWCNT/Ni-Mn-S(3:2)//AC hybrid supercapacitor (HSC) also shows high energy density of 25.33 Wh Kg−1 at power density of 829 W Kg−1 and outstanding cycling stability (93.3% after 20,000 cycles), which illustrates MWCNT/Ni-Mn-S(3:2) has important potential in supercapacitor.