Biotemplate derived three dimensional nitrogen doped graphene@MnO 2 as bifunctional material for supercapacitor and oxygen reduction reaction catalyst

Abstract

Natural diatomite with abundant pores was used as a biotemplate for the massive production of three-dimensional (3D) porous graphene by chemical vapor deposition method. Subsequent template removal and nitrogen doping treatment yield nitrogen doped 3D graphene with preserved shape and complex internal features of the diatomite. After further deposition with MnO 2 nanosheets, the N-doped 3D graphene@MnO 2 (N-G@MnO 2 ) hybrid exhibited excellent supercapacitor and good oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) performance. Accordingly, the porous N-G@MnO 2 electrode exhibited a high specific capacitance (411.5 F g −1 ) and a good cycling performance (88.3% capacitance retention after 4000 charge/discharge cycling test). When tested in a two-electrode configuration, N-G@MnO 2 achieved a wide potential window up to 1.8 V with a high energy density of 46.1 Wh kg −1 . Furthermore, the as-prepared N-G@MnO 2 showed good performance in oxygen reduction reaction, which is comparable to those of commercially available Pt/C electrode. The enhanced capacitive and electrocatalytic properties and stability is due to the synergistic interactions between the porous 3D graphene and MnO 2 nanosheets. The results indicate that the 3D N-G@MnO 2 could be useful for supercapacitor and ORR catalyst.