Transition Metal Oxide/Carbon Nanofiber Composites as Electrode Materials for Supercapacitors

The supercapacitor is recognized as an important device for next-generation energy storage due to its high-power densities. Carbon-based materials are the most widely considered as electrodes for supercapacitors due to their large specific surface area and excellent electrical conductivity. However, they generally suffer from low specific capacitance values and therefore poor energy densities. Recently, transition metal oxides are vastly integrated with carbon materials to design hybrid supercapacitors to improve energy density. Due to the existence of high electrical conductivity and specific surface area, carbon nanofibers are widely used in hybrid supercapacitor electrodes with different transition metal oxides like MnO2, RuO2, and V2O5. These hybrid supercapacitors simultaneously deliver high energy and power densities with long cycle life and rate capability. Therefore, this chapter is mainly focused on hybrid supercapacitors of transition metal oxides with carbon nanofiber. The chapter provides decent and updated coverage on the fabrication and structure of different hybrid supercapacitors based on transition metal oxides and carbon nanofiber, and their electrochemical performance.