Enhanced electrochemical properties of MnFe2O4/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite with a potential for supercapacitor application

A single-step solvothermal method has been employed to synthesize MnFe₂O₄ composite nanoparticles where graphene sheets were incorporated into spherical MnFe₂O₄ nanoparticles of size ∼57 nm. The synthesized MnFe₂O₄/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) composite exhibits enhanced electrochemical properties due to its improved porosity, surface area, and conductivity. FTIR, Raman, and XPS studies confirmed the effective reduction of GO and the successful formation of MnFe₂O₄/rGO composite. When employed as an electrochemical cell electrode, the MnFe₂O₄/rGO composite showed an enhanced specific capacitance of 253 F g⁻¹, as opposed to 133 F g⁻¹ for the bare nanoparticles. The composite attains significantly improved energy density of 76.06 Wh kg⁻¹ and power density of 7.49 kW kg⁻¹ at current density of 10 A g⁻¹. The unification of 2D graphene and MnFe₂O₄ nanoparticles yields enhanced electrochemical performance and an outstanding 96 % cyclic stability (after 5000 cycles), which offers a viable approach for developing better supercapacitor electrode materials in the future.