We have successfully synthesized bare and Na+ preintercalated
MnO2 nanowires (NWs) (Na
x
MnO2, x = 0.05, 0.1, and 0.15) using a facile
hydrothermal method. Supercapacitors are the state-of-the-art technology
to overcome the global energy crisis, owing to their fast charging/discharging
rates and higher power density. One-dimensional morphology (nanorods,
nanowires, etc.) boosts the inherent low conductivity of transition
metal oxides including MnO2 by confining charge transport
only in one direction. Here, we have preintercalated Na+ ions into MnO2 nanowires (NWs) as a conductivity booster
as well as a tunnel-stabilizing agent for α-MnO2.
Morphological analysis reveals that nanowires have <50 nm diameter
and their surface gets cracked with Na+ preintercalation,
offering a less dead area. Linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) results
revealed an increase in oxygen evolution overpotential by Na+ preintercalation, which can enable the supercapacitor to operate
at an extended potential window. Na+ preintercalation and
control on morphology not only increased the conductivity but also
shielded the electrode pulverization against tedious charging/discharging
cycles and reduced the electrolyte diffusion pathway. These features
enabled Na0.10MnO2 NWs to exhibit a specific
capacitance of 1061 F g–1@1 A g–1 and an excellent rate capability of 85.6% at 9 A g–1 along with 95.9% capacitance retention after 6000 charging–discharging
cycles at 12 A g–1 current density. This study showed
that Na+ preintercalation in MnO2 could improve
the electrochemical performance and open up new horizons to manufacture
high-performance next-generation supercapacitors.