Preparation of a manganese dioxide/carbon fiber electrode for electrosorptive removal of copper ions from water.

MnO2 is an effective adsorbent for many metal ions and a promising electrode material for electrochemical supercapacitors. In this paper, we successfully combined the two functions through preparing a MnO2/carbon fiber (CF) composite as an electrosorptive electrode. The thin MnO2 film was deposited onto CF by an anodic eletrodeposition method. The MnO2/CF electrodes had ideal pseudocapacitive behavior and high capacitive reversibility. The specific capacitance of the MnO2/CF electrode reached a maximum value of 387 F/g, which is quite competitive compared with literature values. At 0.8 V applied potential, the maximum Cu(2+) adsorption capacity of the MnO2/CF electrode was 172.88 mg/g, which is more than 2 times higher than common MnO2 adsorbents without an electric field imposed. SEM images showed that MnO2 nanoflowers with several "petals" were uniformly distributed on the CF surface. Enhancement of adsorption by the polarization potential and the unique microstructure of the deposited MnO2 may be the source of the outstanding adsorption ability of the MnO2/CF electrode. The MnO2/CF electrode could be regenerated quickly by reversing the voltage. The deposition time of 1000 s was optimum for achieving maximum capacitance and Cu(2+) removal performance. The MnO2/CF composite electrosorptive electrode is a promising candidate for Cu(2+) removal from aqueous solution.