Electrochemical performance of crumpled graphene loaded with magnetite and hematite nanoparticles for supercapacitors

- Crumpled graphene loaded with magnetite and hematite was synthesized, respectively.
- High electrochemical performance was obtained using both iron oxides-CGR.
- Magnetite-CGR showed higher electrochemical performance than hematite-CGR.

Iron oxides have emerged as alternative electrode materials for supercapacitors because they have advantages of low cost, natural abundance, and environmental friendliness. Graphene loaded with hematite (Fe2O3) or magnetite (Fe3O4) exhibited enhanced specific capacitance as well as a high energy density. In this study, we present three-dimensional (3D) crumpled graphene (CGR) decorated with Fe2O3 and Fe3O4 nanoparticles to determine which one can exhibit higher electrochemical performance of supercapacitors. The 3D CGR-Fe2O3 and 3D CGR-Fe3O4 composites were synthesized in different gas atmospheres from a colloidal mixture of GO and from iron (III) chloride hexahydrate (FeCl3·6H2O), respectively, via one step aerosol spray pyrolysis. Sizes of both iron oxides nanoparticles were ranged from 5 to 10 nm when loaded onto 500 nm CGR. The electrochemical properties of the 3D CGR-Fe2O3 and 3D CGR-Fe3O4 composites were examined to compare the electrochemical performance of both composite electrodes. The 3D CGR-Fe3O4 composite electrode had higher values of capacitance and electrical conductivity than those of the 3D CGR-Fe2O3 composite electrode.

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