α-Fe2O3@PANI Core-Shell Nanowire Arrays as Negative Electrodes for Asymmetric Supercapacitors

Highly ordered three-dimensional α-Fe2O3@PANI core-shell nanowire arrays with enhanced specific areal capacity and rate performance are fabricated by a simple and cost-effective electrodeposition method. The α-Fe2O3@PANI core-shell nanowire arrays provide a large reaction surface area, fast ion and electron transfer, and good structure stability, which all are beneficial for improving the electrochemical performance. Here, high-performance asymmetric supercapacitors (ASCs) are designed using α-Fe2O3@PANI core-shell nanowire arrays as anode and PANI nanorods grown on carbon cloth as cathode, and they display a high volumetric capacitance of 2.02 mF/cm3 based on the volume of device, a high energy density of 0.35 mWh/cm3 at a power density of 120.51 mW/cm3, and very good cycling stability with capacitance retention of 95.77% after 10,000 cycles. These findings will promote the application of α-Fe2O3@PANI core-shell nanowire arrays as advanced negative electrodes for ASCs.