A Facile Microwave Hydrothermal Synthesis of ZnFe(2)O(4)/rGO Nanocomposites for Supercapacitor Electrodes

As a typical binary transition metal oxide, ZnFe(2)O(4) has attracted considerable attention for supercapacitor electrodes due to its high theoretical specific capacitance. However, the reported synthesis processes of ZnFe(2)O(4) are complicated and ZnFe(2)O(4) nanoparticles are easily agglomerated, leading to poor cycle life and unfavorable capacity. Herein, a facile microwave hydrothermal process was used to prepare ZnFe(2)O(4)/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanocomposites in this work. The influence of rGO content on the morphology, structure, and electrochemical performance of ZnFe(2)O(4)/rGO nanocomposites was systematically investigated. Due to the uniform distribution of ZnFe(2)O(4) nanoparticles on the rGO surface and the high specific surface area and rich pore structures, the as-prepared ZnFe(2)O(4)/rGO electrode with 44.3 wt.% rGO content exhibits a high specific capacitance of 628 F g(−1) and long cycle life of 89% retention over 2500 cycles at 1 A g(−1). This work provides a new process for synthesizing binary transition metal oxide and developing a new strategy for realizing high-performance composites for supercapacitor electrodes.