Hierarchical cerium oxide derived from metal-organic frameworks for high performance supercapacitor electrodes

•A hierarchical CeO2 was synthesized using an alkali treatment route at room temperature.•A Ce-BTC MOF was use as a precursor for synthesizing hierarchical CeO2.•Introduction of K4Fe(CN)6 as a redox-active additive to KOH solution.•Capacitances of 779 and 501 F g−1 were achieved at rates of 1 and 15 A g−1.•The capacity retention was maintained at nearly 91% even after 10000 cycles

Presented in this report is a new, simple and effective method for synthesizing hierarchical dumbbell-shaped CeO2 derived from a Ce-BTC MOF at room temperature. The product was characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopic measurements. When used as an electrode in a supercapacitor with a KOH electrolyte and a K4Fe(CN)6 redox-active additive, the capacitor exhibited large a specific capacitance, high rate capability and good cycling stability. Capacitances of 779 and 501 F g−1 were achieved at rates of 1 and 15 A g−1. Simultaneously, the capacity retention was maintained at nearly 91% after 10000 cycles.

Graphical abstractHierarchical dumbbell-shaped CeO2 was synthesized at room temperature using Ce-BTC MOF as a precursor, and exhibited large specific capacitance, high rate capability and long-term cycling stability.Download high-res image (242KB)Download full-size image