A high-performance asymmetric supercapacitor based on carbon and carbon–MnO2 nanofiber electrodes Original Research Article

An asymmetric supercapacitor with high energy and power densities has been fabricated using MnO2/carbon nanofiber composites as positive electrode and activated carbon nanofibers as negative electrode in Na2SO4 aqueous electrolyte. Both electrode materials are freestanding in nature without any conductive additives or binders and exhibit outstanding electrochemical performances. The as-assembled asymmetric supercapacitor with optimal mass ratio can be operated reversibly over a wide voltage range of 0–2.0 V, and presents a maximum energy density of 30.6 Wh kg−1, which is much higher than those of symmetric supercapacitors. Moreover, the supercapacitor exhibits excellent rate capability (high power density of 20.8 kW kg−1 at 8.7 Wh kg−1) and long-term cycling stability with only 6% loss of its initial capacitance after 5000 cycles. These attractive results make these freestanding materials promising for applications in aqueous electrolyte-based asymmetric supercapacitors with high energy and power densities delivery.