Spray deposited Hausmannite Mn3O4 thin films using aqueous/organic solvent mixture for supercapacitor applications

Abstract Manganese oxide (Mn 3 O 4 ) is considered one of the most promising materials for high-performance supercapacitors due to its extraordinary theoretical specific capacitance, low-cost, environmental benignity and natural abundance. Mn 3 O 4 thin films have been deposited by spray pyrolysis using aqueous/organic solvent mixture. These films were characterized for structural, morphological, optical and electrical measurements. The electrochemical performance of the supercapacitor was studied by using cyclic voltammetry curves recorded at different scan rates. The porous Mn 3 O 4 thin film electrode exhibits significantly improved supercapacitive performance in 1 M Na 2 SO 4 electrolyte with highest specific capacitance of 394 F g −1 at scan rate of 10 m Vs −1 for film deposited at 350 °C. The specific energy and specific power are found to be 8.27 Wh kg −1 and 850 W kg −1 , respectively, at a current density of 1 A g −1 . The specific capacitance of the Mn 3 O 4 electrode maintains 93.01% of its initial value after 1000 cycles, at a current density of 1 A g −1 showing a good cycling stability.