Cube-like α-Fe2O3 supported on ordered multimodal porous carbon as high performance electrode material for supercapacitors.

ABSTRACT

Well-dispersed cube-like iron oxide (α-Fe2O3) nanoparticles (NPs) supported on ordered multimodal porous carbon (OMPC) are synthesized for the first time by a facile and efficient glycine-assisted hydrothermal route. The effect of OPMC support on growth and formation mechanism of the Fe2O3 NPs is discussed. OMPC as a supporting material plays a pivotal role of controlling the shape, size, and dispersion of the Fe2O3 NPs. As-synthesized α-Fe2O3/OMPC composites reveal significant improvement in the performance as electrode material for supercapacitors. Compared to the bare Fe2O3 and OMPC, the composite exhibits excellent cycling stability, rate capability, and enhanced specific capacitances of 294 F g(-1) at 1.5 A g(-1), which is twice that of OMPC (145 F g(-1)) and about four times higher than that of bare Fe2O3 (85 F g(-1)). The improved electrochemical performance of the composite can be attributed to the well-defined structure, high conductivity, and hierarchical porosity of OMPC as well as the unique α-Fe2O3 NPs with cube-like morphology well-anchored on the OMPC support, which makes the composite a promising candidate for supercapacitors.