Ferrimagnetic pseudocapacitive MnFe2O4 electrodes and supercapacitor devices

This investigation is motivated by the surge of interest in materials, combining high spontaneous magnetization and pseudocapacitance at room temperature. Ferrimagnetic MnFe2O4 offers benefits of high magnetization. However, the non-pseudocapacitive behavior, low capacitance and high resistance of MnFe2O4 are limiting factors for its applications in magnetic pseudocapacitive devices. This investigation demonstrates that nearly ideal pseudocapacitive behavior can be achieved for MnFe2O4 electrodes in Na2SO4 electrolyte. High pseudocapacitance is observed in positive and negative potential ranges and two different charging mechanisms are proposed. High capacitance is achieved at a low impedance. The ability to achieve comparable and high areal capacitances in the positive and negative potential ranges facilitates the fabrication of a symmetric pseudocapacitive device, containing ferrimagnetic MnFe2O4 as cathode and anode material for operation in enlarged voltage window of 1.6 V. The symmetric device shows capacitance of 0.92 F cm−2 at a current density of 3 mA cm−2. The individual electrodes and device show good cycling stability. The approach is based on the use of murexide and gallocyanine as redox-active dispersants and charge transfer mediators. The analysis of testing results provides an insight into the influence of chemical structure, charge and redox properties of the dispersants on the capacitive behavior. The ability to fabricate a pseudocapacitive device, containing two ferrimagnetic electrodes is promising for energy storage, water purification and novel applications based on magnetocapacitive effects.