Facile synthesis of Mn3O4/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites with enhanced capacitive performance

• Mn3O4/RGO nanocomposites were synthesized through a facile one-step approach.
• The capacitive performance of Mn3O4/RGO nanocomposites was significantly improved.
• Possible mechanism for the enhanced capacitive performance was proposed.

In this study, a facile refluxing approach has been developed to load Mn3O4 nanocrystals onto reduced graphene oxide (RGO) sheets. The microstructure and morphology of the resulting Mn3O4/RGO nanocomposites were systematically investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results reveal that Mn3O4 nanocrystals with particle size of several nanometers were uniformly dispersed on the surface of RGO sheets. The electrochemical properties of the resulting Mn3O4/RGO nanocomposites were investigated by using them as electrode materials for a supercapacitor. It is found that the Mn3O4/RGO nanocomposites exhibit enhanced specific capacitance and long-term stability. The enhanced capacitive performance can be attributed to the synergistic effect among Mn3O4 and RGO. The facile synthesis and the enhanced capacitive performance demonstrate the promising application of the Mn3O4/RGO nanocomposites as supercapacitor electrode materials.