Monodispersed and hierarchical silica@manganese silicate core–shell spheres as potential electrodes for supercapacitor

Design of low–cost and efficient materials with appropriate composition and configuration is desirable for supercapacitor electrode. In this work, hierarchical silica@manganese silicate core–shell spheres with controllable particle size and shell thickness are fabricated through a facile hydrothermal method. The monodispersed core–shell spheres dispaly the hierarchical structure composed of manganese silicate crystallites. The dependence of electrochemical performance on the particle size and the shell thickness is investigated. The finding demonstrates that the core–shell sphere prepared using small silica sphere possesses superior electrochemical properties. A specific capacitance of 297.3 F/g at a current density of 0.5 A/g is achieved. And the thick shell is also in favour of enhancing specific capacitance. The excellent surface–dependent electrochemical performance is associated with its distinctive hierarchical structure, which effectively shortens the ion/electron migration pathway and provides enough electroactive sites. The hierarchical core–shell spheres can be potentially applied in low–cost electrode for supercapacitor.