Integrated MnO₂/PEDOT composite on carbon cloth for advanced electrochemical energy storage asymmetric supercapacitors

Advanced flexible supercapacitors with high energy/power density are an imperative research objective. In this study, a dually activated carbon cloth is designed as the functional current collector for supercapacitors. An electrodeposition technique is used for engineering Manganese Dioxide (MnO₂) nanoflakes and profiting from a Poly (3,4 ethylene dioxythiophene; PEDOT) shield layer, a Li⁺-based neutral electrolyte high-performance freestanding asymmetric supercapacitors is constructed. The activated carbon cloth (ACC) provides an efficient electron-carrying route and the hierarchical nanostructure of the ACC@MnO₂@PEDOT electrode. The integrated ACC@MnO₂@PEDOT electrode exhibited exceptional capacitance performance of 1882.5 mF cm⁻² (current density 1 mA cm⁻²) in 1.5 M aqueous LiCl electrolyte benefiting from ACC scaffold, the pseudocapacitive activity of MnO₂ and substantial conductivity of the PEDOT polymer. Fabricating the structured electrode into an asymmetric supercapacitor revealed an enhanced areal energy density and an areal power density. The fabricated device demonstrated a broad voltage window of 1.8 V and extraordinary cycling stability of 94.6% after 10000 charge-discharge cycles. The unique scaffold, conducting PEDOT polymer, and MnO₂ nanoflakes synergistically improved the cyclic performance and rate proficiency of the electrode, resulting in a supercapacitor with bendable electrical energy storage applications.