Preparation and Supercapacitive Properties of Fe2O3/Active Carbon Nanocomposites

Fe₂O₃/active carbon(Fe₂O₃/AC) nanocomposites were readily fabricated by pyrolyzing Fe³⁺ impregnated active carbon in a nitrogen atmosphere. The as-prepared composites were studied by X-ray powder diffraction(XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) and transmission electron microscopy(TEM). The capacitive property of the composites was investigated by cyclic voltammetry(CV) and galvanostatic charge-discharge test. Physical characterizations show that the γ-Fe₂O₃ fine grains dispersed in the AC well, with a mean size of 21.24 nm. Electrochemical tests in 6 mol/L KOH solutions indicate that the as-prepared nanocomposites exhibited improved capacitive properties. The specific capacitance(SC) of Fe₂O₃/AC nanocomposites was up to 188.4 F/g that was derived from both electrochemical double-layer capacitance and pseudo-capacitance, which was 78% larger than that of pristine AC. A symmetric capacitor with Fe₂O₃/AC nanocomposites as electrode showed an excellent cycling stability. The SC was only reduced by a factor of 9.2% after 2000 cycles at a current density of 1 A/g.