Electrochemical deposition of mesoporous manganese oxide films using mixed surfactants as templating agents

Mesostructured manganese oxide was electrochemically fabricated on indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass from an aqueous solution with 10 mM manganese acetate (Mn(Ac)₂) with a mixture of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and polyethylene-polypropylene glycol (F127) as templating agent for mesoporous structure. In an attempt to investigate the effect of the deposition potential, electrodeposition was conducted at 0.6 V, 0.7 V, and 0.9 V under a constant potential at room temperature. The mesoporous structure of the synthesized electrodes was confirmed by small angle X-ray diffraction (SAXRD). The morphology and the surface properties of the samples were also characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The oxidation state of manganese oxide was determined via X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The electrochemical properties were examined by analyzing the Tafel slope, cyclic voltammetry (CV), and charge–discharge curves in a standard three-electrode system. The electrode that was deposited at 0.6 V versus Ag/AgCl exhibited the highest specific capacitance of 663.23 F g⁻¹, which was attributed to the high effective surface area.