Ultrathin SnO2 nanorod/reduced graphene oxide nanosheet composites for electrochemical supercapacitor applications with excellent cyclic stability

Abstract Composites of ultrathin SnO2 nanorods, ∼20 nm in diameter and ∼100 nm in length, intercalated with reduced graphene oxide nanosheets were synthesized by a simple one-step hydrothermal process. The electrochemical performance of the composites as electrode materials for supercapacitors was studied in 1 M Na2SO4 electrolyte. The experimental results indicated that a maximum specific capacitance of 184.6 F g−1 could be obtained from composites at a current density of 100 mA g−1, which was much higher than that of pure SnO2 (62.4 F g−1). Furthermore, the composite exhibited excellent cycling stability (the specific capacitance still retained 98% after 6000 cycles when the scan rate was 50 mV s−1). The excellent electrochemical performance of the composites was attributed to the synergistic effect of SnO2 nanorods and reduced graphene oxide, which makes up for the shortcomings of the individual components. These results indicated that the prepared composites are excellent candidates as electrode mater...