Fabrication of graphene/cotton and MnO2/graphene/cotton composite fabrics as flexible electrodes for electrochemical capacitors

Abstract

Graphene/cotton composite fabrics for use as flexible electrodes were prepared using a thermal reduction method. The reducing condition significantly influenced the conductivity of the graphene/cotton fabrics. The conductive graphene/cotton fabrics with hierarchical structures used as flexible electrode substrates facilitate the loading of pseudocapacitor materials, enhancing electron transport and electrolyte ion diffusion. The electrode structure was characterized in detail using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and the standard four-point probe method. After further electrochemical deposition of MnO2 sheets on the composite fabrics, the resulting MnO2/graphene/cotton composite fabrics for use as electrode materials had excellent electrochemical performance and great flexibility. The specific capacitance reached 536 F∙g-1 at a scan rate of 5 mV∙s-1. The electrochemical test results indicate that it can be further used for flexible energy storage materials.