N/S-Dual doped MnO modified spore-based ellipsoidal porous carbons for supercapacitors

Abstract Owing to the significance and requirement of renewable energy resources, in this study, ellipsoidal porous carbons with yolk-shell structures assembled using MnO and Ganoderma lucidum spores are fabricated for application prospects in energy storage systems; they exhibit excellent ion transfer capability. However, the surface of carbon nanomaterials is naturally hydrophobic, resulting in a lower energy density. Herein, heteroatom doping and O2/Ar plasma surface treatment are utilized to obtain high specific capacitance and fast charging. Surface functionalization increases the surface roughness and oxygen-containing functional groups of the material. The specific capacitance of the best sample MnO/GSC-O–NS–10 was 568.9 F g−1 when the current density was 0.5 A g−1. The performance test was carried out for 10000 cycles at a current density of 10 A g−1 and the capacitance retention rate was 75.11%. The assembled two-electrode capacitor exhibited a specific capacitance of 240.4 F g−1 and an energy density of 33.4 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 407 W kg −1. These findings provide sufficient theoretical guidance for the development of high-performance supercapacitors.