The question of whether fractal-like
structures are beneficial
for supercapacitor applications is investigated by hydrothermally
synthesizing Fe2O3 in fern, flake, and microsphere
morphologies with similar specific surface areas. Their negative electrodes
are prepared by supporting them on nickel foam (NF). The fractal dimensions
(FDEIS) of these morphologies estimated from electrochemical
impedance spectroscopy are ∼2.50, ∼2.36, and ∼2.19,
respectively. The Fern@NF electrode exhibits the highest specific
capacitance (C
sp) of ∼2708 and
∼104 F g–1 at 1 and 5 A g–1, respectively, with an ∼94% capacitance retention after 2000
cycles. The capacitive (nonfaradaic) surface charge storage contribution
from cyclic voltammetry increases with FDEIS from microspheres
to ferns. Interestingly, such an increase in FDEIS leads
to a decrease in the estimated impedance (Z
CPE) in that order enhancing the performance of ferns. Hence, fractal-like
structures are beneficial for supercapacitor applications by promoting
capacitive surface charge storage through low Z
CPE. The emphasis of this work is to study the effect of fractal
dimension on the charge storage performance of Fe2O3 electrodes, which is scarcely addressed in the literature.
The methodology presented here can be useful in designing/synthesizing
a novel supercapacitor material possessing fractal-like structures
with a potential for scale-up and commercialization.