Fe3O4/carbon coated silicon ternary hybrid composite as supercapacitor electrodes

In this study, Fe3O4/carbon-coated Si ternary hybrid composites were fabricated. A carbon layer was directly formed on the surface of Si by the thermal vapor deposition. The carbon-coating layer not only prevented the contact between Si and reactive electrolyte but also provided anchoring sites for the deposition of Fe3O4. Fe3O4 nanoparticles were deposited on the surface of carbon-coated Si by the hydrazine reducing method. The morphology and structure of Fe3O4 and carbon layer were characterized via X-ray diffractometry, field emission scanning electron microscopy, field emission transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analyses. These characterizations indicate that a carbon layer was fully coated on the Si particles, and Fe3O4 particles were homogeneously deposited on the carbon-coated Si particles. The Fe3O4/carbon-coated Si electrode exhibited enhanced electrochemical performance, attributed to the high conductivity and stability of carbon layer and pseudocapacitive reaction of Fe3O4. The proposed ternary-hybrid composites may be potentially useful for the fabrication of high-performance electrodes.