Hierarchical α-Fe2O3@MnO2 core-shell nanotubes as electrode materials for high-performance supercapacitors

•Hierarchical α-Fe2O3 nanotube@MnO2 nanosheet core-shell networks were prepared.•The mass ratio of MnO2 to α-Fe2O3 can be easily controlled.•The α-Fe2O3@MnO2 heterostructures exhibited improved supercapacitive property.

The incompetency of conventional single-phase electrode materials remains a stumbling block for making further breakthroughs in high-performance supercapacitors. In this work, α-Fe2O3 nanotube@MnO2 nanosheet hierarchical networks with tunable mass ratio of MnO2 to α-Fe2O3 are prepared via a simple two-step method for supercapacitor electrodes. The α-Fe2O3@MnO2 core-shell heterostructures, especially the FM10020 containing 60.1 wt% of MnO2, exhibit a larger specific capacitance of 289.9 F g−1 at 1.0 A g−1, a better rate capability of 40.8% at 5.0 A g−1 and a higher cycling stability of 85.3% after 1200 cycles than the pure MnO2, highlighting the advantages of such unique configuration accompanied by the synergistic effect. It is believed that these intriguing results will provide an alternative way for the construction of metal oxide-based composite nanostructures with improved electrochemical performance.

Graphical abstractHierarchical α-Fe2O3 nanotube@MnO2 nanosheet networks with tunable mass ratio between MnO2 and α-Fe2O3 are prepared via a simple two-step method for high-performance supercapacitor electrodes.Download high-res image (156KB)Download full-size image