DNA-assisted assembly of carbon nanotubes and MnO2 nanospheres as electrodes for high-performance asymmetric supercapacitors.
A DNA-assisted assembly approach is developed to fabricate a capacitor-type electrode material, DNA-functionalized carbon nanotubes (CNTs@DNA), and a battery-type electrode material, DNA@CNTs-bridged MnO2 spheres (CNTs@DNA-MnO2), for asymmetric supercapacitors. An energy density of 11.6 W h kg(-1) is achieved at a power density of 185.5 W kg(-1) with a high MnO2 mass loading of 4.2 mg cm(-2). It is found that DNA assembly plays a critical role in the enhanced supercapacitor performance. This is because while DNA molecules functionalize carbon nanotubes (CNTs) via π-π stacking, their hydrophilic sugar-phosphate backbones also promote the dispersion of CNTs. The resultant CNTs@DNA chains can link multiple MnO2 spheres to form a networked architecture that facilitates charge transfer and effective MnO2 utilization. The improved performance of the asymmetric supercapacitors indicates that DNA-assisted assembly offers a promising approach to the fabrication of high-performance energy storage devices.
Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore. chelxm@nus.edu.sg.
Chun Xian
CX
Guo
Amey Anil
AA
Chitre
Xianmao
X
Lu
D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D025802:Electric Capacitance; D011211:Electric Power Supplies; D004566:Electrodes; D017895:Manganese Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D054118:Nanospheres / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010087:Oxides / Q000737:chemistry*
D017895:Manganese Compounds; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon; D010087:Oxides; C027424:manganese oxide; D004247:DNA